Interesting revolutionary incidents and sketches of character, chiefly in the "Old North state."

if British Army
American, w

34

75

INTERESTING

*tWOff WL UBfi

Revolutionary Incidents :

SKETCHES OF CHARACTER',

CHIEFLY IN THE

"'M lfld| Stlttt."

BY THE

KEY. E W^CAlaUTHERS.D.D.

ECOND SERIES.

PHILADELPHIA :

HAYES & ZELL, 193 MARKET STREET.

1856.

v\

ENTERED ACCORDING TO THE ACT OF CONGRESS, IN THE TEAR EIGHTEEN HUNDRED
AND FIFTY-FOUR, BY E. W. CARUTHERS, IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT
COURT OF THE UNITED STATES, IN AND FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF PENNSYL-
VANIA.

Philadelphia, King & Baird, Printers.

CONTENTS.

Part I. — The British Army in North Carolina, in

the Winter and Spring of 1181, 9

Part II. — Revolutionary Incidents, <. 197

The Honorable Jesse Franklin, 197

Legislative Enactments against the

Tories, 212

Tories in Disguise, 215

Treatment of the Tories, 222

Miscellaneous Incidents, 228

Thomas Hadley 244

Samuel Divinnie, 246

Daniel Hicks, 249

Fred. Smith, 252

Gen. Harrington, 255

Nathaniel Kerr, 258

Ambrose Blackburne, 260

Robert Rowan, 264

Mrs. Elizabeth Forbis, 266

Mrs. Mary Morgan, 270

4 CONTENTS.

Mrs. Rachel Denny, 273

Mrs. Elizabeth McCraw, 282

Miss Ann Fergus, 284

Mrs. Margaret Caruthers, 286

Miss Margaret McBride, 291

Mrs. Martha Bell, 304

Col. John Paisley, 340

James Love, 349

Colonel Dodd, 352

Col. Thomas Bludworth, 355

Closing Scenes of the War, 36 Y

PREFACE.

It was stated in the preface to the first volume
of this work, that materials were on hand for
another of a similar kind, but that their publication
would depend on the wishes of the community, of
which the extent of their patronage would be a suf-
ficient indication. Being local in its character, a
general circulation, beyond the limits of North
Carolina, was not expected ; but it has been well
received in other States, and the good people here
have shown a liberality which is not only grateful
to my feelings, but indicates an increasing interest
in our revolutionary history. That edition has been
nearly all sold, and intelligent men, in different parts
of the country, have, by letters and in other ways,
expressed a desire to get the whole.

The present volume, it is hoped, will be found no
less interesting than the first, and it is now submit-
ted to the public with a little more confidence. After
the first part, the pieces were all, with two or three
%
-

6 PREFACE.

exceptions, written several years ago, and were de-
signed as communications to some of the weekly
papers, but only one was published. What is now
the first part, as originally written, contained merely
an account of the Guilford battle, and the little inci-
dents or anecdotes connected with it ; but, on reflec-
tion, it seemed desirable to give the best account I
could, of the British army, and its operations while
in this State, in the winter and spring of 1781 ; and,
at the suggestion of a friend, I concluded to publish,
in an Appendix, the Order-Book of Lord Cornwal-
lis, which, by some means or other, was left probably
at Fayetteville or Wilmington, and is now preserved
at the University. This shows his lordship's char-
acter better than anything else, and will no doubt
be regarded, by every intelligent reader, as a valu-
able addition to the work.

Then, a plate of the battle, and a map of the
State, with the progress of the British army traced
on it by a distinct line, was deemed indispensable.
The map is taken chiefly from that of Tarleton, who
though not reliable in everything, is believed to be
the best authority we have in a matter of that kind.
The plate shows the relative position of the two
armies, and of the different corps in each, at succes-
sive stages of the conflict. I had a sketch of the
ground taken by a professed artist, expressly for this

PREFACE. 7

work, and although, these things add to the cost, the
intrinsic value of the work is increased more than
the price.

For years I have believed that history has not
done justice to the North Carolina militia on that
occasion ; and if I have succeeded in showing that,
according to their numbers, and with a fair allow-
ance for unfavorable circumstances, they did full
out as well as any other militia in the field, if not a
little better, every citizen of the Old North State
will hereafter visit that scene of desperate conflict,
and of glorious results, with a little more satisfac-
tion than heretofore.

The account of the massacre at the Eight Mile
House, and that of Timothy Bludworth, Colonel
Dodd, and one or two others, I have taken from the
Wilmington papers, but without closely or uniformly
copying the language.

In addition to the gentlemen mentioned in the
first volume, to whom I am, more or less, indebted
for materials, I take pleasure here in acknowledging
my obligations to Gen. Grey, of Uwharie, J. F.
Graves, Esq., of Mount Airy, James Mebane, Esq.,
now an octogenarian, of Caswell county, and G. J.
McCrie, of Wilmington, for some additional facts.

THE

BRITISH AMY IN NORTH CAROLINA

I3ST 1781.

It is well known that the British never subdued
North Carolina, and never could remain long in it at
a time. With their veteran and disciplined troops,
under the command of able and experienced officers,
well supplied with artillery and all the implements
of warfare, they could pass through the country,
plundering and distressing the inhabitants along the
route; but they were all the time annoyed, and
soon found it necessary to retreat. They made
three attempts to invade the State, but only the last
was at all successful, and in regard to the main
object, even that was an entire failure.

With the events which preceded and led to this
invasion, we presume most of our readers are fami-
liar. In the summer of 1779, the town of Savannah
was taken, and nearly the whole of Georgia again
submitted to British rule. On the 12th of May, 1780,
Gen. Lincoln, who was engaged in the defence of
Charleston, surrendered to the British forces under
Sir Henry Clinton, and the whole State was then

10 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

virtually in the power of the enemy. Soon after,
Sir Henry sailed to the North and left Lord Corn-
wallis, with about four thousand troops, to complete
the conquest of the State and re-establish the British
government. Without delay, he marched into the
upper country, and leaving garrisons at all the
important points, he took post at Cambden himself,
with the main body of his army. Only seventeen
days after the fall of Charleston, a regiment destined
for the defence of that town, and on its way thither,
was met, forty miles below Charlotte, at Waxhaw
Creek, and cut to pieces by Colonel Tarleton. On
the 20th of June, the battle of Ramsour's Mill was
fought between the Whigs and Tories, in which the
patriots gained an important victory, though their
enemies had the advantage of the ground and out-
numbered them three or four to one. July 12th, a
detachment of British and Tories were attacked at
Williamson's plantation and completely routed. On
the 1st of August, a brave but unsuccessful attack
was made on a British detachment at Rocky Mount ;
and on the 6th, was fought the battle at Hanging
Rock, where the British were roughly handled, and
a complete victory might have been gained, had not
the men been so eager in pursuit of the routed
enemy that they could not be kept in order, and
were ultimately obliged to retreat. On the 16th,
Gates was defeated near Cambden, and his army cut
up and dispersed. On the 18th, Sumpter was de-
feated on Fishing Creek, by Tarleton, and a large
body of light troops. September 26th, the British
army, under Lord Cornwallis, entered Charlotte,

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 11

where they met with a warm reception, and were
greatly harassed by the Whigs of that region while
they remained in the place. October 7th, the decisive
battle of King's Mountain was fought, which closed
the campaign for that year, and compelled Cornwal-
lis to retreat, with all possible expedition, into South
Carolina, or lose the conquests which he had already
made.

From the fall of Charleston, it was, no doubt, the
design of Cornwallis, and probably of Sir Henry
too, that the conquests then commenced should be
extended, not only over South Carolina, but as far
North as possible. This object appears to have been
kept steadily in view, and all his measures were
taken accordingly. If it was not foreseen, it soon
became manifest that, unless North Carolina could
be subjugated, his possession of South Carolina
would be insecure ; and the royalists from this State
made him believe that the conquest would be an
easy one. If, therefore, he was forced, by the battle
at King's Mountain, and other circumstances, to
leave Charlotte before he had done anything more
than distress the inhabitants and increase their hos-
tility, he was neither idle nor discouraged, but was
endeavoring to get the British authority fully estab-.
lished in the conquered territory, and waiting for
expected reinforcements from the North, under
General Leslie, without which he could not garrison
all the posts which were necessary to be occupied,
and have an army with him sufficient for aggressive
operations. On hearing of the victory gained by
the Americans at King's Mountain, he left Charlotte

12 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

abruptly in the night, and was pursued by Colonel
Davie to the Catawba river, between which and
Charlotte he left near forty of his baggage- wagons ;
but he made good his retreat to Winnsboro', where
he was in the midst of friends, and could make his
arrangements to better advantage.

The battle of the Cowpens was fought on Wednes-
day, January 17th, 1781, and is regarded, by the
British historians, as one of the most important in
that series of events which resulted in the indepen-
dence of this country. On receiving information,
near the last of December, that General Morgan,
with about five hundred regulars and a few militia,
had crossed the Catawba, and was advancing towards
the British post at Ninety-Six, Lord Cornwallis dis-
patched Colonel Tarleton with a thousand men, the
flower of his army — most of them cavalry and light
troops — furnished with two pieces of artillery and
well equipped in every respect, with orders to cap-
ture General Morgan or drive him out of the coun-
try ; but they met with a sad and most humiliating
defeat. This affair mortified the pride of the British
more than anything that occurred during the war,
and they always speak of it as a " shameful defeat;"
for, according to Stedman, one of their own histo-
rians, they had a decided advantage in numbers, in
the ground, and in every respect. Tarleton does not
admit that he had a superiority in numbers, but Sted-
man, who is a much more candid and reliable author,
admits it without any hesitation, and is by no means
sparing in his censures of Tarleton — not for de-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 13

ficiency in courage, but for his reckless impetuosity
and unofficer-like conduct.

" During the whole period of the war," Stedman
says, ' ' no other action reflected so much dishonor
on the British arms. The British were superior in
numbers : Morgan had only five hundred and forty
continentals, the rest militia ; Tarleton's force com-
posed the light troops of Lord Cornwallis' army.
Every disaster that befel Lord Cornwallis, after
Tarleton's most shameful defeat at the Cowpens,
may most justly be attributed to the imprudence and
un-soldierly conduct of that officer in the action.
Nothing could be more unexpected by Lord Corn-
wallis than the news of Tarleton's discomfiture. If
he judged from the events of former actions, when
the numbers were not so equally balanced, and the
disproportion much more in favor of the Americans,
he had reason to look for a victory instead of a
defeat. The disappointment was galling, and the
loss of credit cast a shade over the commencement
of the expedition." But, " deeply as his lordship
was affected with the weight of this misfortune, and
greatly as he saw his difficulties increased by it, he
nevertheless resolved to prosecute the original plan
of the expedition into North Carolina, as the only
means of maintaining the British interest in the
Southern Colonies."

When the battle of the Cowpens was fought,
which was on Wednesday, January 17th, 1781,
Cornwallis was encamped on Turkey Creek, about
twenty-five miles below, in South Carolina, where
he was waiting, partly to learn the results of Tarle-

14 KEVOLUTTONAKY INCIDENTS.

ton's movements, but chiefly for a reinforcement of
fifteen hundred men, from Charleston, who were now
approaching under the command of General Leslie,
who had his head-quarters, on the night of the 17th,
at Sandy Eun, a tributary of Broad river, and about
twelve miles below Turkey Creek, where, we believe,
Lord Cornwallis had his camp on the 17th and 18th.
Usually, the orders for the day were issued the night
before, to prevent any confusion or delay in the
morning; and on the night of the 17th, as we find
in the Order Book, Leslie issued the following order
for the next day :

" The troops to march to-morrow morning at day-
break. One company of the 1st Battalion Guards
in front of the guns. The regiment De Bose to
cover the baggage. The North Carolina Regiment
in the rear of the baggage, and the 2nd Battalion
Guards in the rear of the whole."

These orders were executed on the 18th, when
they reached Lord Cornwallis' encampment, and
then, as it appears, General Leslie issued his last
order. (See Appendix, Orders for January 18, 1781.)

His lordship had his arrangements all now made,
and moved forward under the stimulus of Tarleton's
late defeat. His direct or first object was, if possi-
ble, to overtake General Morgan and cut him off,
or, at all events, rescue the prisoners ; but an ulterior
and more important object was, to get between
General Greene and Virginia. This design was
formed some time before, and was deemed essential,
as Steclman tells us, " to the maintenance of the
British authority in the South." The British army

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 15

now proceeded to the north-west, between Broad
river and the Catawba. This route, leading to the
back-country, was chosen, that the army might the
more easily be enabled to pass the great rivers in
its way at the fords near their source. It also
afforded a prospect of cutting off Morgan's retreat,
if he should elude Tarleton, or at least of prevent-
ing his junction with the army under General
Greene. Nor was the British General without
hopes that, by following this course, he might get
between Greene's army and Virginia, and force him
to an action before he was joined by his expected
reinforcements."

Early on the morning of the 19th, the whole
army took up the line of march for the Old North
State, as appears from the order issued by Lord
Cornwallis the night before. {See Appendix, Orders
for January 18, 1781.

Sanders' plantation appears to have been their
last encampment in South Carolina ; and in conse-
quence of the above general orders, issued on the
night of the 20th, the army, on the 21st, which was
Sunday, crossed the line and entered North Carolina;
but the place of their encampment is not mentioned.
{See Appendix, Orders for January 19-23, 1781.)

The former site of Tryon Court House was only
a few miles, in a western direction, from the present
town of Lincolnton ; but the name of Governor
Tryon, in honor of whom, the name was, at first,
given to a large territory including several of our
present counties, having now become odious to the
people of North Carolina, the Legislature, in 1779,

16 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

two years before the time of which we are writing,
divided Try on county, to the western part of which
they gave the name of Rutherford, in honor of Gen.
Rutherford ; and to the eastern part, lying on the
Catawba river, the name of Lincoln, in honor of
Gen. Lincoln, who was then engaged in the defence
of South Carolina. The court house or county town
was called Lincolnton ; and to that his lordship re-
fers in the next order, as the village where there
was plenty of good leather and other articles which
they very much needed. (See Appendix, Orders
for January 26, 27, 28, 1781.)

Why they remained three or four days at Ram-
sour's when in such hot pursuit of Gen. Morgan, we
cannot tell, unless it was necessary to rest and re-
fresh his men after a hard march of more than a
week; but while there Cornwallis destroyed his
heavy baggage and made preparations for a more
rapid pursuit, of which Stedman, who was com-
missary for the army, gives the following account.

" Previously to the arrival of the British troops
on the banks of the Catawba, Lord Cornwallis con-
sidering that the loss of his light troops could only
be remedied by the activity of the whole army, re-
solved to destroy all the superfluous baggage. By
first reducing the size and quality of his own, he set
an example which was cheerfully followed by all the
officers under his command, although by so doing
they sustained considerable loss. No wagons were
reserved except those loaded with hospital stores,
salt and amunition, and four empty ones for the
accommodation of the sick or wounded. And such

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 17

was the ardor of both officers and men, and their
willingness to submit to any hardship for the pro-
motion of the service ; that this arrangement, which
deprived them of all future prospect of spirituous
liquors, was acquiesced in without a murmur."

In a note at the bottom of the page he tells us
that, "the remainder of the wagons," that is, all
except those which were loaded with hospital stores,
salt and amunition, and four empty ones reserved
for the sick or wounded, " were destroyed at Kam-
sour's mill."

The last order must have been issued early on the
morning of the 28th ; for on that day, they advanced
to the Catawba or near it, as appears from the order
book, and remained there about three days. {See
Appeyidix, Orders for January 28, 29, 1781.)

On arriving at the river his lordship was sadly
disappointed to find that the object of his pursuit was
on the other side, and that for the present his own
progress was arrested by an unseen agency which the
power of man could not resist : so says Stedman,
" From Broad river, Morgan directed his course to
the Catawba, and moved with so much celerity that
he reached it before the British army. Yet so
closely had he been pursued, that the advance of the
British troops arrived at the banks of that river in
the evening of the 29th of Januarjr, only two hours
after the last of Morgan's corps had crossed. A
heavy rain that fell in the night, swelled the river so
much as to render it impassable the next morning ;
and, as it continued so for two days, Morgan had
time to make an arrangement for disencumbering

18 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

himself of the prisoners and sending them off under
an escort of militia by a different route from that
which he proposed to take "

In the University Magazine, has been recently
published an account of the military operations in
North Carolina during the period of which we are
writing, by Gen. Graham, which is a most impor-
tant addition to our revolutionary history, in which
he tells us that Gen. Morgan sent his prisoners
under an escort of his militia across the Catawba at
the island ford, but that he himself with the regu-
lars crossed at Sherill's ford. Morgan intended to
send his prisoners, under a guard of militia, over the
mountains, in which case they must have been over-
taken and recaptured by the British light troops.

In the mean time, Gen. Greene, having heard
of the victory at the Cowpens, and of Cornwallis
march in pursuit of the victor, wished to have an
interview with Morgan as soon as practicable. For
this purpose, leaving his army, encamped on the
eastern side of the Pedee, under the command of
Gen. Huger and Col. Williams, he set out with an
escort of dragoons and, after travelling with great
expedition, arrived at Morgan's camp on the last
day of January. Lossing, after noticing the rise in
the river, which prevented the British from crossing,
says, " The arrival of Greene at this juncture was
equally providential ; for Morgan had resolved upon
a line of retreat which must have proved fatal.
Greene interposed counter orders, and the whole
army was saved." Being thus relieved from the
care of his prisoners, Morgan could now employ the

THE BRITISH ARMY IN" NORTH CAROLINA. 19

five hundred regulars under his command in guard-
ing the fords of the Catawba ; and Gen. Greene
made every possible effort to rally the militia of that
region for the defence of the country, and among
other measures, wrote to Col. Lock, of Eowan, a
most earnest and patriotic letter. As Locke was
soon after killed at Torrence's tavern, his papers fell
into the hands of the enemy, and, for the gratifica-
tion of such of our readers as may not see that work,
we copy it from Tarlton's history.

General Greene to Colonel Locke.

11 Beanie's Ford, January 31, 1781.

" Sir : — The enemy are laying on the opposite
side of the river, and, from every appearance,
seem determined to penetrate the country. Gen.
Davidson informs me he has called again and
again for the people to turn out and defend their
country. The inattention to his call and the back-
wardness of the people is unaccountable. Provi-
dence has blessed the American arms with signal
success in the defeat of Tarlton, and the surprise of
Georgetown, by Col. Lee with his legion. If, after
these advantages, you neglect to take the field, and
suffer the enemy to overrun the country, you will
deserve the miseries ever inseparable from slavery.
Let me conjure you, my countryman, to fly to arms,
and to repair to head-quarters without loss of time,
and bring with you ten days' provisions. You
have everything that is dear and valuable at stake.
If you will not face the approaching danger, your

20 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

country is inevitably lost. On the contrary, if you
repair to arms, and confine yourselves to the duties of
the field, Lord Cornwallis must be certainly ruined.
The Continental army is marching with all possible
despatch from the Pedee to this place ; but, without
your aid, their arrival will be of no consequence.
" I am, Sir, your humble servant,

"Nath. Greene."
" Col. Locke."

With all the efforts made it was found impracti-
cable, on the spur of the occasion, to raise militia
enough in the counties of Eowan and Mecklenburg,
brave and patriotic as they were, to resist the pro-
gress of the British army. There were so many
fords, some four or five within as many miles of each
other, to guard all of which would have required
a considerable army ; the country was extensive and
thinly settled, it being near forty miles between the
rivers from east to west, and near a hundred from
north to south ; the men of that region had been
much in the public service during the previous
year, beginning with the defence of Charleston, and
having been engaged - in nearly all the battles and
skirmishes afterwards, in both North and South
Carolina, by which conflicts, and by exposure in a
sickly climate, they had lost many of their men and
several of their most valuable officers. With all
these facts before us, we cannot think it strange
that men enough could not be brought together, in
so short a time, to withstand the progress of a
veteran army, and the country must submit to the

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 21

ravages of a victorious enemy. Cornwallis, finding
that there was no longer any obstruction in his
way, either from high waters, or an armed force,
that could not be overcome, determined to cross
the river on the 1st of February, and on the 31st of
January gave his orders accordingly. — (See Appen-
dix, Orders for January 31, 1781.)

Although the order for the time of marching
seems to have been changed two or three times,
and although the last order in the book was half
after two o'clock, they marched at one, and after
encountering some difficulties, from the darkness of
the night and the badness of the roads, they arrived
at the river about the dawn of day ; but we will, in
the first place, give the reader Stedman's account of
this affair : ' ' That he might perplex the enemy, and
draw off their attention from the real object, Lieu-
tenant Colonel Webster, with one division of the
army, was detached to a public ford, called Beattie's,
with orders to cannonade, and make a feint, as if he
intended to force a passage; whilst Lord Cornwallis,
with the other division, marched to a private ford
near McCowan's, where the passage was to be in
reality attempted. The division under Lord Corn-
wallis marched from its encampment at one in the
morning of the 1st of February, and reached the
ford about dawn. The numerous fires seen on the
opposite shore quickly convinced the British com-
mander that this ford, although a private one, had
not escaped the vigilance of the enemy. General
Davidson, with three hundred militia, had been sent
to guard it only the evening before. Nevertheless,

22 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

Lord Cornwallis determined to proceed, and the
passage was gallantly and successfully effected by
the brigade of guards under General O'Hara.
Plunging into the rapid stream, in many places
reaching above the middle, and near five hundred
yards wide, they marched on with the utmost steadi-
ness and composure; and although exposed to the
fire of the enemy, reserved their own, according to
their orders, until they reached the opposite bank.
The passage of the river was made in the following
order. The light-infantry of the guards, led by
Colonel Hall, first entered the water. They were fol-
lowed by the grenadiers, and the grenadiers by the
battalions, the men marching by platoons to sup-
port one another against the rapidity of the stream.
When the light-infantry had nearly reached the
middle of the river, they were challenged by one
of the enemy's sentinels. The sentinel having chal-
lenged thrice, and received no answer, immediately
gave the alarm by discharging his musket ; and the
enemy's pickets were turned out. No sooner did
the guide, who attended the light-infantry to show
them the ford, hear the report of the sentinel's mus-
ket, than he turned round and left them. This,
which at first seemed to portend much mischief, in
the end proved a fortunate incident. Colonel Hall,
being forsaken by his guide, and not knowing the
true direction of the ford, led the column directly
across the river, to the nearest part of the opposite
bank. This direction, as it afterwards appeared,
carried the British troops considerably above the
place where the ford terminated on the other side,

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 23

and where the enemy's pickets were posted; so that
when they delivered their fire the light- infantry
were already so far advanced as to be out of the
line of its direction, and it took place angularly
upon the rear of the grenadiers, so as to produce no
great effect. When General Davidson perceived
the direction of the British column, he led his men
to that part of the bank which faced it. But by
the time of his arrival the light-infantry had over-
come all their difficulties. They were getting out
of the water and forming, and so soon as they had
formed, quickly routed and dispersed Gen. David-
son's militia, killing or wounding about forty of
them. Gen. Davidson was the last of the enemy
who remained upon the bank, and in mounting his
horse to make his escape, received a mortal wound."
On this, as on every other occasion, the great
superiority of veteran and disciplined troops was
manifest. Though wading through water waist
deep, which was sweeping by them with a heavy
current ; though deserted by their guide in the most
difficult part of the ford, and facing an array of rifles
on the opposite bank, they pressed on and reserved
their fire, according to orders, until they got where
they could form and act efficiently. Before reaching
the river, "Owing to the intricacy of the roads and
the darkness of the morning," Tarlton says, "one of
the three pounders was overset, and for some time
caused a separation of the 23d regiment, the cavalry
and the artillery men from the main body," the other
gun was by some means detained, so that they could
make no use of their artillery in crossing. " Corn-

24: RE VOLUTION AKY INCIDENTS.

wallis' horse was shot in the water," Stedman says,
" but did not drop until he reached the bank. Gen.
Leslie's horses were carried by the rapidity of the
stream some distance down the river, until his
groom got upon a rock and held them. O'Hara's
horse rolled over with him in the water, which
caused the brigadier to get thoroughly wet, but he
received no other injury."

In regard to the number of killed and wounded on
both sides, accounts vary. The British historians
say that they killed and wounded about forty of
the Americans ; but this is contradicted on what we
consider good authority. Gen. Graham, who was
present on the occasion and took a very active part,
in the latter years of his life, wrote an account of
the military operations in North Carolina, during
that period, which has been recently published in
the University Magazine, and forms a most valuable
addition to our revolutionary history. He says,
"we had only four killed, including Gen. Davidson,
and none wounded or taken." Tarlton and Sted-
man admit that they had four killed including Col.
Hall, and thirty-six wounded. Gen. Graham says,
" The enemy's loss as stated in the official account
published in the Charleston Gazette, two months
after, was Col. Hall of the guards, and another
officer and twenty-nine privates, thirty-one in all,
killed and thirty-five wounded. They left sixteen
who were so badly wounded they could not be taken
along, at Mr. Lucas', (the nearest farm,) and a sur-
geon under protection of a flag was left with them.
Two wounded officers were carried on biers and

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 25

such of the other wounded as could not walk were
hauled in wagons. Some of their dead were found
down the river some distance, lodged in fish traps
and in brush about the banks, on rocks, &c. An
elegant beaver hat, made agreeably to the fashion
of those times, marked inside, ' The property of Josiah
Martin, Governor J was found ten miles below. It
never was explained by what means his Excellency
lost his hat. He was not hurt himself." As the
British, when deserted by their guide before it was
fully light, left the ford and took a direction which
brought them to the bank two or three hundred
yards further up the stream, the main body of Gen.
Davidson's men could not be properly formed and
ready for action until they were attacked, when a
volley of musketry and a charge with the bayonet
threw them into disorder and they fled in confusion.
Captain, afterwards Gen. Graham's little company of
some fifty men was the only one on the ground pro-
perly formed, and though sorely galled by the enemy,
it covered the retreat, or, at least, gave some protec-
tion to their retreating countrymen. "W hether all was
done that might have been done under the circum-
stances to prevent the enemy from crossing, or
whether there was any lack of vigilance and any ne-
glect of preparation for defence that was practicable,
we need not inquire. There was certainly no lack
of patriotism and, under all the circumstances, per-
haps no deficiency of courage. Gen. Davidson with the
main body, was about half a mile from the ford, and
when the firing was heard he hastened to the place,
accompanied by Col. William Polk, and the Kev.

26 KEVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

Thomas McCaule, who was one of the most eloquent
and patriotic men of that day. Gen. Davidson was
killed, not by the British, bnt by Frederick Hager,
a German Tory, who had piloted the British across
the river, as was generally believed ; and he was
killed in Dr. McCorcle's great coat, which, owing to
some casualty, he had borrowed the day before.

As soon as the militia was dispersed, Cornwallis
sent off Tarlton at the head of the dragoons and the
23d regiment, to attack the rear of the Americans, at
Beattie's ford, if they were making any resistance to
Webster ; but an advanced party soon brought in
two or three prisoners who informed Tarleton that
the guards at the different fords had left, and were
making a precipitate retreat. His orders were, first
to disperse the militia at Beattie's, if necessary, and
then to patrol the country for the purpose of getting
information. On learning that the men had all fled
he turned his course eastward; but the infantry
were so impeded by the rain and bad roads that he
left them posted five or six miles from Beattie's and
pursued with the dragoons. When the men who
retreated from Beattie's, and some from Cowan's,
with many others and some South Carolina refugees,
arrived at Torrence's tavern, being wet, cold and
hungry, they halted and began to drink spirits very
freely, carrying it out in pailfuls. A number of
Whig families, who were flying with their most
valuable effects in their wagons, had also collected
there and all was confusion. The wagons and
movers were in the lane, and the men were all in
disorder when the alarm was given, " Tarleton is

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 27

coming." In this emergency the men attempted to
put themselves in an attitude of defence ; but before
they were properly formed in line, Tarleton charged
them with his dragoons and they fled in every direc-
tion. Ten were killed, several of whom were old
men unarmed, and a few were wounded. Tarleton, as
he does with everything in which he was concerned,
reported this as a very important affair. He says,
" he found them prepared to receive him, but he
resolved to hazard one charge ; and when he gave
the order to advance, he told them to remember the
Coivpens. Animated by this reproach, they made a
furious onset, broke through the centre with irresis-
tible velocity, killed near fifty on the spot, wounded
many in the pursuit and dispersed about five hun-
dred ;" but Stedman, a much more reliable authority,
says, " A British officer who rode over the ground
not long after the action, relates that he did not
see ten dead bodies of the provincials in the whole."
In this skirmish, Tarleton admits that seven of his
men were killed and wounded, and that twenty
horses fell by the first fire of the Americans. After
pursuing a short distance the dragoons returned and
made great destruction of the property in the wagons
of the movers, ripping up beds and strewing the
feathers until the lane was covered with them, and
everything else they could destroy was used in the
same manner.

The Whigs were now so dispirited and scattered
that they made no further attempt to resist the pro-
gress of the British. The men under Morgan
retreated with as much haste as possible towards

28 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

the Yadkin, and Cornwallis prepared for an eager
pursuit. Having dried themselves and cooked their
breakfasts, buried their dead and made arrange-
ments for their wounded, the main body under
Cornwallis moved up towards the road leading from
Beattie's ford, and Webster having crossed there in
the course of the day, joined them in the evening.
Tarleton also returned with his corps and it again
formed a unit at the cross roads, where they en-
camped. They burned Torrence's house and the
houses of some other prominent Whigs in that
region ; but these were outrages perpetrated by a
licentious soldiery, and for the manner in which they
were regarded by his lordship, the reader is referred
to the order book. (See Appendix, Orders for Feb-
ruary 1, 2, 3, 1781.)

Morgan kept his distance, and again made a most
fortunate escape. He reached the trading ford on the
Yadkin in the night, between the second and third
of February, and with the assistance of all the boats
that could be collected, completed the passage of
his corps with their baggage by the following
evening, except only a few wagons left under an
escort of riflemen. The riflemen, after a slight
resistance, fled under cover of the night, and their
wagons were of course taken.

The American cavalry had passed by the ford of
the river, but a heavy rain that fell during the day
rendered the river impassable by the next morning ;
the same rain, by swelling the creeks and increasing
the badness of the roads, had also retarded General
(yilara on his march, and thus Morgan's detach-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN" NORTH CAROLINA. 29

ment from fortunate incidents, had another hair-
breadth escape."

On the 3d of February, the day on which Morgan
crossed the river, Cornwallis reached Salisbury,
where Tarleton says, "some emissaries informed
him that Gen. Morgan was at the Trading Ford,
but had not passed the river: Brigadier- General
O'Hara was directed to march to that place, with
the guards, the regiment of Bosc, and the cavalry.
Owing to rain, darkness, and bad roads, the troops
did not arrive at the Yadkin till near midnight.
After a skirmish, it was discovered that Morgan's
corps had crossed in the evening, leaving a detach-
ment of riflemen to protect some wagons and stores
belonging to country people, who were flying with
their effects, to avoid the British army. Gen.
O'Hara, having made a fruitless effort to get pos-
session of the flats and large boats upon the river,
took post with the infantry on the ground which
commanded the ford and the ferry, and sent back
the cavalry to Salisbury. A heavy rain swelled the
Yadkin the succeeding day and night, and General
Morgan remained on the eastern bank, facing the
British."

The old hero of the Cowpens must have felt a
peculiar pleasure, when standing on the eastern
bank of the Yadkin, then swollen into a mighty
river, he could look in defiance at his disappointed
enemies on the other side, and feel secure while an
impassable flood of waters was rolling between
them. The riflemen crossed at another place and
rejoined their comrades. It has been said, that a

30 EEVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

few cannon shot were tired at a log cabin on the eas-
tern side, in which the General was writing, but
they neither stopped his pen nor disturbed his
equanimity. The boats were all secured on the
eastern side, and the impatient earl was compelled
to wait for the falling of the river.

Gen. Greene's army, or fragment of an army, had
encamped about a mile from the court-house, to the
east or north-east, and he lodged in the house of Mrs.
Steel, where he was kindly entertained ; and while
there, with a generosity which will cause her name
to be remembered with honor for generations to
come, she presented him with a purse of gold,
which was a considerable relief in his necessitous
circumstances ; but the effect on his spirits was
worth ten times as much as the commercial value
of the coin. The British army encamped, if I am
not mistaken, from the 3d to the 6th of February,
within two or three hundred yards of the court-
house, but more to the north ; during which time,
Lossing says, "the officers were hospitably enter-
tained by Dr. Anthony Newman, notwithstanding
he was a Whig. There, in the presence of Tarleton
and others, Dr. Newman's two little sons were
engaged in playing the game of the battle of the
Cowpens with grains of corn, a reel grain represent-
ing the British officers, and a white one, the Ameri-
cans. Washington and Tarleton were particularly
represented, and as one pursued the other, as in a
real battle, the little fellows shouted, hurrah for
Washington, Tarleton runs ! Hurrah for Washing-
ton ! Tarleton looked on for awhile, but becoming

THE BRITISH ARMY IN" NORTH CAROLINA. ol

irritated, lie exclaimed, " See the cursed little
rebels."

During their stay in Salisbury, nothing occurred
worthy of notice, except the depredations committed
on the property of the citizens by the soldiers, and
by the negroes who, having fled from their masters
to the British army, at different points along the
route, were accompanying it on the march, and many
of them with arms in their hands, as we learn from
the Order Book. The orders appear to have been
issued at the river by Gen. O'Hara, and in Salisbury
by Lord Cornwallis." — {See Appendix, Orders for Feb-
ruary 4, 5, 6, 1781.)

In the order, which was issued on the night
of the 6th for the morning of the 7th, even the
place of encampment is not mentioned, and every-
thing betokens the utmost haste and vigilance. On
the 7th, the day after leaving Salisbury, they crossed
the Yadkin at the Shallow Ford, and probably took
up their encampment near the river ; but from this
time until they reached the Eoanoke, the place of
his lordship's head-quarters is not more than once
or twice mentioned in the Order Book. — {See Ap-
pendix, Orders for February 7, 8, 1781.)

From the disposition of the inhabitants for some
distance on the east side of the river, and from their
industrious habits, the British expected a friendly
reception and an ample supply of their wants ; nor
were they much disappointed ; but they were not
altogether unmolested; for Captain Graham, with
his little troop, killed and captured seven of their
men not far from the river.

32 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

They were now in the midst of the Moravian
territory, where they neither feared an enemy, nor
"lacked any good thing;" but for the manner in
which they fared among this humane and inoffen-
sive people, we refer to Tarleton, who says, " The
mild and hospitable disposition of the inhabitants,
being assisted by the well cultivated and fruitful
plantations in their possession, afforded abundant
and seasonable supplies to the king's troops during
their passage through this district;" but he does
not tell us how these supplies were obtained ;
whether by purchase and the consent of the owners,
or by force of arms and to the great distress of
these industrious and excellent people.

During the war of Independence, the Moravians
felt themselves peculiarly situated", and endeavored
to act with the caution which their circumstances
seemed to require. They were as much of a unit
as a community scattered over the whole world
could be — A Unitas Fratrum ; and most of their
real estate is held in common. They had societies
in England and in most parts of Europe. Only a
small part of the fraternity were in this country,
and if they took part, and we failed to gain • our
independence, they feared that their possessions
would be forfeited. As a community, therefore,
they thought it most prudent to wait the issue, and
take no active part with either. Moreover, as a
community, they were then, bona fide, opposed to
all war and bloodshed ; but their views on this
subject are now so much modified, that while they
are still, like most other Christians, opposed to

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 33

any other wars than such as are properly defen-
sive, they would turn out for the defence of the
country, should it be necessary, with as much
promptness and resolution as any other class of
citizens.

But notwithstanding their purpose, as a com-
munity, to take no active part, and to which they
seem to have adhered with much consistency, as
individuals they had their preferences, and their
feelings on the subject of American independence,
were not entertained altogether in silence. In some
of the towns, they were rather in favor of the
British; and in Salem, owing to the influence of
Marshall, their head man, they were generally so;
but in Bethany, now called Hoozertown, or with
the German orthography, Hausertown, they were
almost to a man, in favor of independence. They
had suffered much from the depredations of the
Tories in the surrounding country, which only
increased their American feeling, but their senti-
ments were no doubt known to Cornwallis, which
caused them to be treated with more rudeness by
officers and men.

Leaving Lindsey's on the morning of the 9th, the
British directed their course to Hoozertown, where
they arrived about noon, and remained till next
morning. The officers took possession of the
houses, and in their revelry, treated the inoffensive
inhabitants with a great deal of roughness.

As there was a considerable quantity of spirits in
the village, and several distilleries in the immediate
vicinity, while there was no American force within

34 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

reach that could give them any uneasiness, nearly
the whole of them, officers and soldiers alike, got so
royally drunk, that five hundred sober and resolute
men could have taken the whole without any diffi-
culty. The encampment was a little out of the vil-
lage, but while the principal officers were there
enjoying themselves, the soldiers and subalterns
took the liberty to come in for spirits, and they all
got happy together, except, perhaps, his lordship,
who kept sober enough to observe what was going
on. This incident, which was related to me, only a
few years ago, by some of the good people in
Salem, is still fresh in the traditions of that commu-
nity, and it seems to be confirmed by the next
general order. (See Ajipendix, Orders for February 9,
1781.)

The following anecdote, which was related to me,
some fourteen or fifteen years ago, by a citizen of
Salem, is not only amusing, but illustrative of the
treatment which the people of the country received
from the British soldiery. Pleavy exactions were
made on all the Moravian towns, but the citizens of
Hoozertown fared worse than the others — partly
because they were known to be in favor of indepen-
dence, and partly because the officers, as well as the
soldiers, were " in their cups," and therefore more
reckless in their conduct.

It was determined to make all the men in the vil-
lage drink the health of King George ; and his lord-
ship, if he had anything more in view than amuse-
ment, probably thought, that if he did not get them
in this way fairly committed, he would at least

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 35

mortify their feelings, and thus punish them a little
for their rebellious spirit. So, having got the lead-
ing ones together, he, or one of his officers, holding
a bottle in his hand, told them that they must all
drink the health of King George; and he began
with old Hoozer, who was a leading character among
them. Having no good will to the king, and not
wishing to act hypocritically, when the bottle was
presented, he refused ; but the officer told him that
if he did not he would run his sword through him.
This was placing the honest old Dutchman in a pre-
dicament which he did not expect, and for which he
was not prepared. As the only altera ative was
death or compliance, he reached out his hand very
reluctantly for the bottle, and, as he drew it slowly
towards his mouth, said, " Yell den, here is to de
helt of King Chorge." Then putting the bottle to
his mouth, and letting it gurgle a little, but taking
care not to swallow any of its contents, he handed
it back ; but as he did so, he turned his head over
the other shoulder, and said to his friends, though
in a voice which was heard by them alone, " And
tarn him, he is nutting de better for dat." Encour-
aged by his example, the rest all drank the health
of King George in the same way, and all felt, no
doubt, when it was done, that he was " nothing the
better for that." His lordship, unconscious, we sup-
pose, of the trick that had been played upon him,
or upon his master at home, gave orders at night for
leaving next morning. {See Appendix, Orders for
February 9, 1781.)

The next day he passed through Salem, where

6b REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

he, with the principal officers, remained only two or
three hours, and where his demands were less
oppressive ; but the citizens were much annoyed by
the soldiery while passing through the town. In
1854, I applied to Mr. Schweinitz, Clerk of the
Society in Salem, for any facts contained in their
records relative to the march of the British army
through their settlements ; and, with much prompt-
ness and courtesy, he sent me the following commu-
nication, for which he has my sincere acknowledg-
ments :

" Salem, K C, June 8th, 1854.
" Kev. E. W. Caruthers,

Dear Sir : — I have examined the old papers in the
archives, and extracted the following facts, which,
although of no great importance, may prove of use
to you :

"No allusion to the story of the cook of the
Brethren's house* is to be found in any of the nar-
ratives.

* A number of years ago, a citizen of Salem told me, that
the principal cook of the Brethren's house was such an invete-
rate Whig, that neither threats nor persuasion could prevail
on him to prepare anything for Cornwallis and his staff to eat.
Marshall, the head man of the town, used his influence, but in
vain. The officers tried coaxing him, but he told them to go
home, and stay there, and not be coming here to kill our peo-
ple, destroy our property, and make us slaves to King George.
They then threatened, in an angry tone, to cut him down with
their swords ; but not one bite would the dogged old Dutch-
man get for them. In 1854, I asked Mr. Schweinitz about
this incident, and to that he alludes in the above letter.

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 37

" 1781, February 5, 6 and 7. Militia-men, in small
parties and in whole companies, passed through
Salem.

" February 8th. News was brought to Salem
that Lord Cornwallis, with his army, had crossed
the Yadkin at the Shallow Ford.

" February 9th. Lord Cornwallis arrived at
Bethany (Hausertown), with the whole British
army, about noon, and encamped.

" The houses were filled with British officers and
their servants. Three hundred pounds of bread,
one hundred gallons of whiskey, and all the flour
to be found, were taken by the enemy. Sixty head
of cattle, not to number sheep and poultry, were
likewise seized upon. Twenty horses were de-
manded, but could not be found in the village.
Violent threats of many of the officers greatly
alarmed the inhabitants, and universal consterna-
tion pervaded the village.

"February 10th. About 7 A. M., the enemy
commenced to leave Bethany. The Colonel of artil-
lery took seventeen horses, instead of the twenty
demanded. The British passed through Bethabara
(Old Town), and about 10, A. M., their dragoons
entered Salem, followed by the main body of the
army, which continued to pass through the town till
4, P. M. Lord Cornwallis and staff remained about
one hour in the town. After the main body of the
troops had left Salem, stragglers committed many
acts of theft and robbery in various parts of the
town. The Brethren's house lost nine oxen; and
from Bethabara, eighteen of their largest oxen had
4.

38 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

to be delivered to the British. The wagon belong-
ing to the Brethren's house had to convey two loads
of flour from the mill to the British camp at Fred-
erick Miller's, about four miles from Salem. The
camp extended from Miller's to Love's, about two
and a half miles. The inhabitants of the Broad-
bay settlement were greatly molested by straggling
parties of the enemy, and were forced to surrender
nearly all their cattle and fodder to their foraging
parties. Fred. Marshall was in Salem at this time,
having returned from Europe in 1780.
" In haste,

" Yours truly,

" E. A. SCHWEINITZ."

From the Trading Ford, Gen. Greene, having
only a few men with him, and not much encum-
bered with baggage, took the road which was then
commonly travelled from that place to Martinville,
where he had directed Gen. Huger to meet him
with the main body of the army. The course was
the most direct, but the road was a very bad one.
It was never much used after the war, but traces of
it may still be seen. Crossing the road which now
leads from Lexington to Salisbury, about four miles
from the former place, in what is still called the
Forohawk Old Field, though now in cultivation, it
went by a place called Possumtown, and crossed the
road now leading from Greensboro' to Salem, about
a mile west of New Garden Meeting-House. Any
one who has ever travelled through that part of the
country, especially in the winter season, and was

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 39

wide awake at the time, knows that it must then
have been almost impassable, and that, with a heavy
train of baggage, prudence would have dictated
another route.

The winter was not one of unusual cold. The
one previous had been of unheard of severity,
and so intense was the cold, that wagons and teams
crossed the Yadkin on the ice, a thing unknown in
this country before or since, until this present time,
when they are crossing again, (January, 1856;) but
the winter in which the British passed through the
State was comparatively a mild one. There were
frequent and heavy rains, and it generally cleared
off with a "north-wester," which froze the top of
the ground for two or three days, and thus, all the
time, the roads were in a desperate condition.
When the ground was frozen, they were exceed-
ingly rough, and when they were thawed, the mud
was so deep that they were almost impassable, either
for infantry, or for artillery and baggage.

When he came to Abbott's Creek Meeting-House,
he halted two or three days to rest his troops, or,
perhaps to wait for further developments. He
made his head-quarters at the house of Col. Spurgen,
who was in good circumstances, and lived about a
mile from the church. He was a Tory Colonel, one
of those commissioned by Gov. Martin, about the
beginning of 1776, and had taken quite an active
part in favor of the royal cause. Of course, he was
not at home to receive his guest, and " treat him to
the best he had ;" but his wife, Mary Spurgen, was
as true a Whig as her husband was a Tory, and,

40 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

like Mrs. Steel, in Salisbury, she showed him all the
kindness, and gave him all the encouragement in
her power. On arriving there, the first thing he
did, was to select his ground for a battle, should it
become necessary. It was a very eligible position,
elevated, covered with a dense growth of large
hickories, most of which are yet standing, and
ample enough for all the evolutions that might be
necessary, while he would have the buildings to
protect him in case of emergency. As this locality
was near the house, he told Mrs. Spurgen, that, if
Cornwallis should overtake him, and compel him to
fight, she must go into the cellar with her children,
and remain there until the conflict was over ; but
fortunately for her and for all concerned, the foe
was still prevented from advancing by a higher
power. iNot having heard a word, however, of
Cornwallis, or of his movements, since he left the
Trading Ford, he felt very anxious to know whether
he would cross there, as soon as the river became
fordable, and pursue him, or remain on that side
for the purpose of bringing the country into subjec-
tion, or cross higher up, with the view of getting
between him and Virginia.

In such circumstances, a man of his patriotism
and indomitable energy of character, could not rest.
There was too much at stake, and he was of too
noble a spirit to remain long inactive or in a state
of suspense, while danger of the most alarming
kind was so near. Having no other means of
information, and knowing Mrs. Spurgen's patriotic
spirit, he asked her if she knew of any one in whom

THE BRITISH ARMY IN" NORTH CAROLINA. 41

lie could put confidence, as lie wished to send such
a one back to the river, for the purpose of pro-
curing some information respecting the movements
of Cornwallis. She told him yes, he could put con-
fidence in her son John. Feeling encouraged by
this answer, and, at the same time, like a prudent
man, fully awake to the perils that beset him, he
repeated the question, and with a great deal of
earnestness :

" Are you sure, Madam, that I can put confidence
in John ?"

"Yes, sir," was her prompt and womanly reply.
"Yes, sir, you can put confidence in John, if he will
consent to go, and I think he will."

That was enough; and John was called. General
Greene then told him what he wanted, — that he
wished him to take his own horse and go back to
the Trading Ford to see if he could find out any-
thing about the movements of the British, and if
he saw nothing of them there, to go up the river for
a number of miles. He promptly consented, and set
off at once. He rode a fine horse, and with proper
vigilance, had not much to dread. On going to the
river, he could neither see nor hear anything of
them ; but, in obedience to orders, he went up a
number of miles without any better success. He
then returned and told Gen. Greene how far he had
gone, but without obtaining the least information.
Greene told him he must go again, for he must have
the information, and he must have it soon ; and, if
he saw nothing of them, to continue up the river to
the Shallow Ford. Young Spurgen set out again,

42 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

and on reaching the Shallow Ford, some thirty
miles, more or less, from home, he found they were
crossing. Then returning as fast as his horse could
carry him, he reported that they were crossing at
that ford. Instantly, Gen. Greene ordered his
horse, and was off for Martinville, where he arrived
on the evening of the 7th, and found Gen. Huger
there, who had just arrived with the main body of
the army. By this time, the designs of Cornwallis
were manifest and Greene's situation admitted of no
delay ; but perhaps we ought to observe how much
service the wife and the son of a Tory Colonel, though
a mere lad at the time, rendered at this critical
juncture of affairs.

The army was encamped on the hills around
Martinville, but chiefly on the west side, where the
battle was afterwards fought. Greene remained
here between two and three days, resting his troops
after their long and severe march from the Pedee,
and in procuring the necessary supplies of provi-
sions. When walking out on the west side of the
village in company with Gen. Hamilton, and one or
two other citizens, he remarked, that there was the
ground on which he wished to give Cornwallis
battle, provided he could be sufficiently re-enforced ;
and he seems never to have lost sight of that as
the destined scene of conflict. Did he make this
selection because it was in a plentiful country and
in a strong Whig neighborhood, or because it offered
more conveniences for retreat, if that should be
necessary ? Was it from some indefinable impres-
sion on his own mind, or did his military genius

THE BEITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 43

perceive in it some local advantages which escape
the notice of ordinary men ? At all events, the
selection is generally believed to have been a good
one ; and from his subsequent movements, it seems
to have been his constant aim, as he gained strength,
to draw his enemy to that point, but as Cornwallis
was not more than twenty-five miles, if so much,
behind him, and in hot pursuit, retreat was the
order of the day; and from this time until he got
into Virginia, where he could feel safe, all his
powers, physical and mental, were taxed to the
very utmost.

This retreat was one of the most memorable on
record, and we contemplate all the movements with
a peculiar interest. Gen. Greene had only two
thousand men, of whom five or six hundred were
militia. Cornwallis had between twenty -five hun-
dred and three thousand veteran troops who, com-
pared with those of the Americans, were well fed,
clothed and equipped. Morgan's corps had just
marched from the Cowpens, one hundred and fifty
miles ; and the main body under Gen. Huger, had
marched from the Pedee, a hundred miles, over a
desperate road, sometimes wading through mud, and
sometimes crippling over frozen ground with feet so
bare that their footsteps, it is said, were often marked
with their blood. Such patient endurance and such
patriotic firmness, in circumstances so trying, are
without a parallel in history.

In Martinville a council of war was held in which
it was determined not to risk a battle with their
inferiority of numbers, but to get over the Dan, if

44 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

possible, where they would be safe for the present,
and where they expected a reinforcement. Gen.
Greene then formed a select corps, consisting of
Lee's legion, the regular battalion of infantry under
Col. Howard, the cavalry under Col. Washington,
and a small corps of Virginia rifleman under Major
Campbell, in all about seven hundred, the flower of
the southern army. It was designed to manoeuvre
in front of the British, and retard their progess as
much as possible. The command of it was offered
to Gen. Morgan ; but he was so worn down with
fatigue, and so afflicted with rheumatism that he
declined the honor, and it was given to Col. Otho
II. Williams, of Maryland. Such a corps, under
officers so vigilant and enterprising, could make a
very effective resistance. On it depended the safety
of the whole army, and nobly did they meet their
responsibilities. Every man seems to have exerted
himself to the utmost ; and Williams, if he had done
nothing more, would have immortalized his name
by this retreat.

On the morning of the 10th, Williams took com-
mand of his corps ; and the whole army took up
the line of march for Erving's Ferry on the Dan,
over seventy miles distant. Tarleton says that, " Gen.
Greene removed the stores and heavy baggage into
Virginia, under an escort of militia, and hastened
with the remainder of his troops to the Dan." While
Cornwallis "proceeded towards the head of Haw
river, wishing to intercept the Americans and bring
them to action south of the Koanoke." He seems
to have felt convinced that, if he failed in this enter-

THE BEITISH AEMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 45

prise lie might ultimately be compelled to leave the
State, and perhaps have to give up the whole South ;
but if he succeeded, the British authority would be
re-established ; for if the southern army, then under
Gen. Greene, could be defeated and dispersed, like
that of Gates at Cambden, the confidence of the public
would be so much impaired and the sources of the
country so much exhausted that another could not
be raised sufficient to make any effective resistance.
For some distance the two armies moved on lines
nearly parallel ; but any one acquainted with that
region and with the roads through it, will see that
this could not have continued more than two days,
march, if so much. Gen. Greene, we believe, took
the Flat rock road, and the British army, the
Danville road. On the night of the 10th, Cornwallis
had his head-quarters at Fred. Miller's, four and a
half miles from Salem, while the encampment, Mr.
Schweinitz says, extended to Love's, two and a half
miles further, which would make the front about
seven miles from Salem ; and his orders, from this
onward show an impatience of delay. (See Appendix,
Orders for February 10, 1781.)

On the night of the 11th they encamped, accord-
ing to tradition, near the place where Sanders' Mill
now stands, and the next night they were atBruce's,
which was a short day's march; but they were
detained for some time in the morning by repairing
the bridge over the creek, which the Whigs had
broken down ; and again, in the afternoon, by bury-
ing their dead who had been killed in the skirmish
with Col. Lee, about one o'clock.

46 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

During this day, the 12th, a skirmish took place
near Bruce's Cross Eoads, between the corps of Lee
and Tarleton. Bruce then lived about half a mile
south from the Cross Eoads which still bear his
name, and was a farmer in good circumstances.
Lee had stopped there about noon for breakfast,
and when the much needed repast was about ready,
Isaac Wright, a countryman, came in, much excited,
and told them that he had seen a number of the
British dragoons not more than two or three miles
up the road. Without waiting to break their fast,
though in great need of it, Lee sent off a small
detachment under Capt. Armstrong, one of his most
resolute and efficient officers, to ascertain the truth
of the report, and made Wright go along ; but as
he objected, because he was on a little, slow-gaited
pony, he was allowed to exchange with the bugler,
who rode a very fine horse, and who went with
the party, from an apprehension that, by some
trick or accident, he might lose his horse. Having
gone about the distance at which Wright stated that
he had seen them, Armstrong refused to go any
further, accused the informant of making a false
report, and threatened him with the consequences ;
but he assured them, that although he might be a little
mistaken in the distance, as he was frightened at the
time, he had not deceived them, and if they would go
a little further, he would convince them of the fact.
The bugler and two others agreed to the proposal ;
but they had not gone over a quarter of a mile until
the report was verified. A squad of dragoons had
halted at the side of the road, apparently to rest

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 47

and, owing to a hollow or a turn in the road, they
were not seen by the scout until they were close
upon them, when the retreat and the pursuit in-
stantly commenced. The other two had nothing to
fear, but the bugler on his pony was soon over-
taken and literally cut to pieces, amidst curses and
imprecations, while begging for quarters. This in-
human butchery was committed in a clump of large
oaks, yet standing, or were a few years ago, not
over two hundred yards from the house in which
the Eev. Henry Tatum now lives ; but before they
had quite finished their victim, Capt. Armstrong
came up with the detachment under his com-
mand, and a severe skirmish ensued ; seven of the
enemy were killed, while the Americans lost none
except the bugler, who was a mere boy, about
eighteen. He was taken back and buried on Bruce's
plantation. While Armstrong was thus disposing
of his enemies, Tarleton with his whole corps, hav
ing heard the firing, was seen approaching at full
speed, and they were obliged to retreat with pre-
cipitation. Probably anticipating the result, Lee,
with his cavalry, had taken post at a favorable
place near the road, where he was concealed and
ready to act as circumstances might require. When
Armstrong came dashing by with a large number
of Tarleton's corps, under Capt. Miller, in hot pur-
suit, he rushed into the road and made such a fierce
attack upon them, that he completely broke their
ranks and killed a number of them. Capt. Miller,
whom Lee held responsible for the murder of his
bugler, was taken prisoner, and would have been

48 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

hung on the spot, but just at that moment the
whole British van came in sight, and Lee sent him
off to Gen. Greene as a prisoner of war. In this skir-
mish, Lossing says, eighteen were killed — meaning,
I presume, eighteen in all; but the Americans lost
none except the bugler. Cornwallis came along an
hour after, and buried his dead.

When the party returned, Bruce sent off his wife
and children under the care of his trusty old servant,
Jack, to his father's, on Hogan's creek, and he him-
self went along with Col. Lee. The British army, or
a portion of it, probably the van-guard under Gen.
O'lTara, encamped on the premises that night, and
left them next morning a scene of desolation. They
took all the provisions, grain, and forage they could
find, burned the fences with all the out-buildings
and were about to apply the torch to the dwelling-
house when John and Richard Robinson, two Qua-
kers, who lived in the neighborhood and were great
friends to Mr. Bruce, came over just at the moment
and persuaded them not to do it. The Quakers,
then, went whenever they pleased and without fear,
into the camp of either enemy ; and on this occasion
they were the means of exerting a kindly influence
on a ruthless soldiery, and of preventing the wanton
destruction of property which might injure or dis-
tress the inoffensive, but could be of no benefit to
them.

When Mrs. Bruce got to the house of her father-
in-law, on Hogan's creek, about seven miles, where
she arrived late in the evening, her good old ser-
vant, Jack, told her he would go back and see

THE BRITISH ARMY IN" NORTH CAROLINA. 49

what they were doing with his master's property.
She tried to dissuade him, and told him that they
would catch him and hang him, or carry him away ;
but he said, "Oh no, no — no catcha he, no catch a
he;" and he went back as fast as he could. His
complexion corresponded so well with the darkness
of the night, that he was enabled to crawl, unseen,
all round their camp, and to approach within a few
steps of their fires, where he could hear and see all
he wanted. Having done so he returned and made
a true report of what was doing, but it was not very
grateful to her feelings.

In identifying the place where the bugler was
killed and where Lee had the skirmish with the
British dragoons, I have followed what appears to
have been the uniform tradition of the neighbor-
hood, and have fixed the date accordingly. The
Eev. Henry Tatum, now a man of very advanced
age, married a daughter of Mr. Bruce, and has
lived nearly all his life where he now lives, on the
very ground which was the scene of conflict. A
few years ago, both he and his old lady had a dis-
tinct recollection of all these things as they had
often heard them from her father and other old peo-
ple in that region. Their opportunities of knowing
had been good, and their character for truth was
above suspicion.

In the course of the day on which the bugler was
killed, Lee had another encounter or sudden sur-
prise, of which Lossing gives the following account :
"Lee's troops had been deprived of their morning
meal, which was half cooked when the countryman

50 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

gave the alarm. By taking a road shorter and more
secluded than the one passed by Williams, he hoped
to gain time to dine at a well-stocked farm. He
did not apprehend a surprise, for the road was only
a by-way. He stationed a few videttes, however, to
watch, and well he did. Just as the horses were
about to partake of their provender, and the soldiers
of corn-bread and bacon, the videttes fired an alarm
and came dashing towards the main body. Battle
or flight was the alternative. Before them was a
swollen stream, spanned by a single bridge; to gain
and hold this was an object of vital importance to
Lee. His infantry were ordered to run and take
possession of it, while the cavalry prepared to cover
a retreat. The van of the British were surprised at
this meeting, not being aware of the proximity of
their foe, and while halting to receive orders, Lee's
troops had an opportunity to pass the bridge.

Where this bridge was, and over what stream, I
have not been able to ascertain. There was then,
and for several years after, a private bridge over
Haw river, a few miles below the Danville road, and
probably this was the one ; or it might have been on
the Troublesome creek, but that was rather too
far distant. The British quickly pursued, but the
Americans, having the strongest and fleetest horses,
outstripped their pursuers and were soon in the
great road leading to Erving's Ferry.

Tarleton says that, " on the road many skirmishes
took place between the British and the American
light troops ;" and it is said by others that they
seldom shot at each other except across a turn in

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 51

the road or when crossing a stream of water, though
they were often in sight and sometimes within rifle
shot. Occasionally, however, when the British were
pressing too closely on them, they found it necessary
to skirmish a little ; and in such cases, as Williams,
was on the retreat, he could generally select his own
ground. On one occasion of this kind, according to
favorable tradition, having drawn up the whole of his
men in a position, he made show of fight, and ap-
peared very determined on making a stout resistance.
The British, thinking they had not force enough to
encounter him, sent back for two pieces of artillery
and a reinforcement of men. In the corps of Wil-
liams was a singular genius, by the name of Tom
Archer, from the north-west corner of Guilford
county, who, with some others, had probably joined
them at Martinville, for the occasion. He was not
remarkable for strength of intellect, but had some
other qualities which admirably fitted him for the
ever varying scenes of that arduous and perilous
march. Eather above the medium height and well
proportioned, bony, muscular and vigorous, he was
always in his place and always ready for service.
Though constantly on fatigue and exposed every
hour to the most imminent dangers, he never com-
plained or became discouraged. Frank and open
hearted, with a good share of ready wit, and a good
flow of spirits, he was the life of his comrades, and con-
tributed not a little to their patient endurance of the
toils and perils of the march. Inflexible in his pur-
pose, when he thought he was right, and enthusiastic
in the cause of freedom, rough in his manners, blunt

52 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

in his language and never caring whether he " mur-
dered the king's English," and made "Irish bulls,"
all the time or not, he was ever ready to be on the
" forlorn hope," or take his turn at any kind of ser-
vice. If to the above characteristics we add a great
catfish mouth, a big stentorian voice, and a bushy
head of hair that would hardly thank you for a hat,
you have Tom Archer before you as large as life ;
and probably the reader will think with the writer
that, in some situations at least, such a man would
be a very desirable friend ; but, at all times, a most
undesirable enemy ; or in other words, that he would,
if not wronged or provoked in any way, be as clever
a fellow as could be found in his sphere of life,
ready to divide his last ration with a comrade or
risk his life for a friend, but would " fight his weight
in wild cats " before he would suffer any man or
any set of men to trample on his rights. Hunting-
had been his delight from the time he was old enough
to " draw a bead ;" and, with his fine rifle, which he
always carried and always kept in good order, he
hardly ever missed his aim at any distance within
two hundred yards.

When the artillery was brought up to its position
in the road, Archer stepped out into the middle of
the road, directly in front of the guns, and hailed them
at the top of his big, strong voice, " Hallo, there —
Mister, I wish you would take that ugly thing out
of the road, or it may cause some trouble yet before
all is over;" and then turning his head over his
shoulder, said, to an officer standing by, " Captain,

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 53

may I shoot that cussed rascal ? for he has no busi-
ness there, no how."

"No," said the captain, "not yet — wait till they
are ready to apply the match ; for we want to detain
them as long as we can."

The enemy, of course, if they heard him at all, paid
no attention, as they would take him for a drunken
fool or some crack-brained mortal ; but while the
preparations were making — Williams bringing up
and marshalling his men, and the British doing the
same — Archer stepped to the side of the road and
stood there leaning against a tree, resting his gun
with the butt on the ground, and in perfect silence,
as if in a " brown study," or anticipating the plea-
sure of the feat which he expected to perform, and
keeping his eye steadily fixed on that " ugly thing,"
in the road. He had full confidence both in the gun
and in himself ; and having now a good opportunity
as he thought, he was anxious to make another trial.
Fear, was a word which had no place in his vocabu-
lary, and he was probably never more composed in
his life, but waited for leave to shoot, with as much
impatience as he ever waited for a fine buck to
come along when pursued by the hounds. The time
was short — a very few minutes ; and when he thought
they were nearly ready to apply the match, he step-
ped out into the middle of the road and hailed them
again. " Hallo, there — Mister, I say you had better
take that thing out of the road, or I'll be hanged if
I don't shoot some of you." Then turning to the
officer, said as before, " Captain, may I shoot that

5

54 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

cussed rascal now; for tellin' don't do him one bit
o' good ?"

" Yes," said the captain, " and as quick as you can,
for we have no time to lose."

Having got permission, he clapped his rifle up
against the side of the tree and taking sure aim with
the quickness of an experienced hunter, and at the
distance of about two hundred yards, when the gun
cracked, a " red coat" fell. Then vaulting into the
saddle, they all dashed off at full speed ; and being
favored by a hollow or a turn in the road, they had
just time to get beyond the reach of the grape shot
before the "big gun," was fired. By this manoeuv-
ring on the part of Williams the enemy were proba-
bly detained an hour or two, which was no small
advantage to the retreating army.

The above anecdote I had, some years ago, from
what I consider good authority, and the character
of Archer is well known in this community. There
are many yet living who, when they were young,
were well acquainted with him and they all, when
asked, gave me the same account. One old gentle-
man replied to my inquiry with a laugh, that he had
just sense enough to be "fool hardy;" but then he
went on to give me his character more seriously,
which agreed perfectly with that given by many
others. He had considerable military spirit and got
some office, that of captain, or one of lower grade ;
but it was found that, with a courage that feared
nothing, he lacked discretion.

For the last two or three days, we find some diffi-
culty in determining their route, and their daily

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 5o

stages. Tradition is very much at fault, and the
Order Book gives do satisfaction, except in regard
to dates. The orders are exceedingly brief, and
specify only the hour when they should move in the
morning, and the relative position of the different
corps while on their march. (See Appendix, Orders
for February 12, 13, 14, 1781.)

Historians differ in regard to the day of the month
on which the American army crossed the Dan. The
British historians, Tarleton and Stedman, say that
the whole army crossed on the 11th ; the latter of
whom gives the following account : — " The Ameri-
can troops, both the main and the light army, with
the baggage, instead of meeting with any difficulty,
were passed over with ease, at Boyd's and Erving's
Ferries, in the course of a single day^ — the fourteenth
of February. The light army, which was the last
in crossing, was so closely pursued, that scarcely
had its rear landed, when the British advance
appeared on the opposite bank, and in the last
twenty-four hours it is said to have marched forty
miles." Eamsay says simply, that the army crossed
on the fourteenth ; but most other historians of this
country say, that the main body crossed on the thir-
teenth and the light troops the next evening. As
the Order Book was kept from day to day, we sup-
pose that the dates in it are correct, and must settle
the question. With the aid of tradition, and the
Order Book before us, we think their progress may
now be traced with tolerable accuracy ; and for this
purpose, let us take a bird's-eye view of it for the
last five days.

56 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

On the night of the 10th, their encampment was
at Miller's, four or five miles from Salem. On the
11th, it was about where Sanders' mill now stands,
and on the 12th, it was at Bruce's. On the 13th, at
the Speedwell Iron Works, and on the 14th, at Lo-
cust Hill. From Martinville, General Greene, it
seems, went north a few miles, and took the Flat
Rock road, which would take him into the road by
the High Rock, about Lenox's Castle. I am told
that he camped one night on Lick Fork Creek,
where he expected to be overtaken, and in the morn-
ing drew up his army for battle, on the high ground
near the creek ; but the enemy did not appear.
Cornwallis, with the view of keeping between
Greene and Virginia, as far as he could, took the
road by what is now known as Lawson's Store and
Bethany Church, near which there was some skir-
mishing between the British advance and the Ameri-
can light troops under Williams.

For the sake of comfort, we suppose, his lordship
went across, about a mile, to Mrs. Dumitt's (since
Brown's Store, and now Locust Hill), on the High
Rock road, while the army were encamped on the
high ground, about a mile, or perhaps a little more,
to the north-east, and near the junction of the two
roads. From this place, I am told, it is about
twenty-five miles to Erving's ferry, and at dark, on
the evening of the loth, the British van arrived at
Boyd's, a few miles above. About noon of that day,
or a little after, a courier arrived, with a letter from
General Greene to Colonel Williams, informing him
that he had passed the Dan on the preceding day —

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 57

the 14th, as we suppose — at three in the afternoon-
The race had been long and the pursuit close ; the
last night was dark, cold and drizzly. As the
British were close in their rear, and pressed on until
in the night, Lee and Williams were obliged to do
the same. About eight o'clock at night, they were
alarmed by the appearance of camp fires a mile
ahead ; for, as they were ignorant of Greene's where-
abouts, they supposed that it was his camp, and that
he must be overtaken "by the British; but they
found, on approaching, that they were the fires of
Greene's camp two nights before, and had been kept
burning by the people of the neighborhood. With
their fears and anxieties thus relieved, they con-
tinued their march until they were assured that the
enemy had halted for the night, when they halted
too, kindled their fires, and slept for three or four
hours. Before the day dawned, their pursuers were
again in motion ; and, notwithstanding their weari-
ness, and the desperate condition of the roads, both
armies pressed on — as that was the last day, and
everything was at stake — allowing only one hour,
in the fore-part of the day, for a scanty meal. But
when a courier arrived at noon, " his horse all reek-
ing with sweat," and bringing the glad tidings that
the army had got safely over the Dan, a shout of
joy went up from that noble band of patriots, which
was heard, it is said, by O'Hara, and was regarded
by Cornwallis as ominous ; but still he pressed for-
ward. At three o'clock, Williams filed off towards
Boyd's ferry, fourteen miles distant, and left Lee to
manoeuvre in front of the enemy. Williams reached

58 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

the ferrj before sunset, and at dark had his men all
landed on the other side. "When about the place
now known as the Red House, Lee sent his infantry
on in advance, and moving off with his cavalry in
the twilight, he pushed for the river, and finding,
on his arrival, that the infantry had just crossed in
boats, they turned their horses into the stream, and
the men, in batteaux, were soon all landed in safety
on the Virginia side. At Colonel Carrington's they
found ample refreshment, and before midnight, they
were wrapped in

" Balmy sleep, tired nature's sweet restorer !"

To expedite his march on the last clay as much as
possible, according to his last order, Cornwallis dis-
encumbered himself of everything he could, by
leaving behind him, on the morning of the fifteenth,
most of his baggage, and all the women, children,
and men who were unfit for such a march ; but, not-
withstanding, he met with a sad disappointment.

We consider it then, a settled matter, that the
main body under Gen. Greene, crossed the Dan
on the 14th, and the light corps under Col. Williams,
on the 15th; for, according to the Order Book of
Cornwallis, it was certainly on the evening of the
15th, that the British van arrived at Boyd's Ferry,
and when they came in sight, the last of the light
corps under Williams had just landed on the north
side; nor is it less certain that Gen. Greene had
crossed at Erving's Ferry the day before. As it
was such a memorable event, the precise date is a
matter of some interest, though not of very great

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 59

importance ; and in this case, we regard the British
authority as the best we have; for, as it was more
than thirty years after when Col. Lee wrote his
Memoirs, a mistake of one day in the date is not at
all improbable.

It has been said, that both armies averaged thirty
miles a-day, which, if not an utter impossibility, is,
under all the circumstances, perfectly incredible.
The facts are sufficiently romantic in themselves,
without any exaggeration ; and the object of the
historian should be simple verity. On the evening
of the 10th, Cornwallis was about ninety -five miles
from Erving's Ferry, and therefore, although by
disencumbering himself of almost everything on the
last day, and by starting at 4 o'clock, two hours
before dawn, he made twenty-five miles a-day, for
he marched ninety-five miles in five days, which
was an average of just nineteen miles a-day. Gen.
Greene, who, when at Martinville, was about a good
day's march ahead of his lordship, kept his dis-
tance, and very little, if any more. We do not
know precisely when he got to the river, nor how
long the army was in crossing, but with the main
body, we suppose he averaged about twenty miles
a-day, and when everything is considered, that
almost surpasses belief. I have travelled the road,
from the Catawba river nearly to Erving's Ferry,
repeatedly, and in the dead of winter, sometimes on
horseback, and sometimes in a common buggy, and
I know that, on a large portion of the road, and
with such frequent and heavy rains as they had, the
infantry would have to wade through mud shoe-

60 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

mouth, or ankle deep, while the baggage-wagons
and artillery-carriages would be cutting in half-way
to the hubs, and sometimes sticking fast in the mud,
when they would have to be pryed up, and even then
could sometimes get through only by doubling-teams.
From the Cowpens to Erving's Ferry, on the cir-
cuitous or zigzag route which they travelled, could
be very little, if any, less than two hundred and
fifty miles; and, "from start to pole," both armies
endured privations and hardships, which even a
lively imagination could not picture before us. The
Americans were the greatest sufferers : their shoes
were worn out, and the clothes they had on were
much tattered ; they had only one blanket to four
men, and after leaving Martinville, the tents were
never used. The light troops had one blanket to
three men, which was very little better; and the
troops were allowed only one meal in the day. In
addition to all this, remember that, without shoes,
as they were, their feet were often cut by the frozen
ground, so that their footsteps were often marked
with their blood ; and we cannot but admire their
patient endurance. Yet there was no spirit of
mutiny, and not a sentinel deserted his post. There
was no shrinking from their toils and perils, and no
faultering in their purpose to be free or die. After
crossing the river, Gen. Greene sent a despatch to
Jefferson, the Governor of Virginia, in which he
says, " On the Dan river, almost fatigued to death,
having had a retreat to conduct for upwards of two
hundred miles, manoeuvring constantly in the face
of the enemy, to give time for the militia to turn

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 61

out and get off our stores ;" and in his note to Col.
Williams, informing him that he had crossed the
Dan, he declared that he had not slept more than
four hours since he left Guilford. The British, if
they were not better fed than the Americans, had
much better clothing and equipments of every kind.
Their hardships and sufferings, however, were im-
mense ; but officers and men alike, bore them all
with astonishing fortitude and patience, in the hope
of .overtaking Gen. Greene, and thus putting an end
to the war at once.

The Americans were actuated by noble senti-
ments, and noble sentiments make noble men.
Amidst all their privations and hardships, they
kept good heart, and being animated by the love of
liberty, they never despaired of final success. At a
time when we would suppose they were so dis-
pirited and worn down that nothing hardly could
raise a smile, they only cracked their jokes and
"laughed away care." They were withal, a merry
set of fellows ; and, as amusing things were of fre-
quent occurrence, we love to give an anecdote
occasionally, illustrative of military life in such
circumstances, and of the manner in which they
kept up their spirits.

When Gen. Greene was taking his troops across
the Dan, he had a common soldier from Guilford
County, by the name of John M'Bride, who had
charge of the boats, or some portion of them.
M'Bride, now about twenty-three or twenty-four
years of age, was a blacksmith, and, after getting
clear of his apprenticeship, had spent a year or two

62 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

in Fayetteville, where he had probably learned to
manage such water craft on the Cape Fear, and for
this reason, we presume, he had the honor of boat-
captain given him on the present occasion. He was
a small man, of slender proportions, below the
medium height, and of a character which might
have admitted the playful soubriquet of "Big Busi-
ness." The last one who entered the last boat, was
a large man, a little over six feet high, and of a
very strong muscular frame. As he stepped in, he
told M'Bride to go forward to the other end, and
guide the boat to the landing, intending, as it ap-
pears from the sequel, to manage that end himself.
The order was given, not in an austere or super-
cilious manner, but with the grave and firm tone of
one who had been accustomed to command, and
who felt that he had a right to be obeyed. M'Bride
felt a little piqued that his prerogative should be
thus unceremoniously encroached upon by a perfect
stranger, and rather pertly replied, " Go and do it
yourself; for, if I may judge from your appearance,
you are much abler than I am." The big man said
nothing, but very deliberately taking him with his
left hand by the nape of the neck, and with his right
by the seat of his breeches, hoisted him up above
the heads of the men in the boat — os sublime dedit —
and carried him along to the front end, where he
set him down, and said, " Now, do you sit there and
guide this boat to the landing."

Then he returned to the stern, and carried out his
original purpose. McBride, though he looked and
felt as if he " couldn't help it," was obliged to be

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 63

quiet. He kept trying to swallow the resentment
which was all the time rising in his throat ; but
could think of no way by which he might show his
spunk, without subjecting himself to the danger, if
not the absolute certainty of being thrown into the
river, or handled more roughly in some other way.
He did try, as he said afterwards, to run the boat
below the landing, but the big man at the other end
was so much stronger, that he brought it up to the
right place in spite of him. After they all got out
on the high ground, and were preparing for the
encampment, he saw the big man, who had treated
him so cavalierly in the boat, standing by himself,
with his arms folded, and apparently absorbed with
his own thoughts. Thinking that he could not let
the affair pass altogether unnoticed, and judging this
to be the most favorable opportunity he would have,
he stepped up to him, with as much of a manly air
as he could assume, and said, " I should like to know,
sir, who you are, that you take such liberties with
people you never saw before !" And the big man
very meekly and condescendingly replied, "I am
General Morgan, sir." Poor McBride felt " as if he
could have crept through an augur-hole ;" and after
making an awkward and half-uttered apology, went
away to assist his messmates in fixing their tent.

Sad must have been the feelings of Cornwallis,
when he arrived at the Dan and found that, after all
his toils and sanguine expectations, he was a little
too late. For once his lordship had been fairly out-
generalled ; and this is virtually admitted by their
own historians. Tarleton says, " Every measure of

bl REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

the Americans, during their march from the Catawba
to Virginia, was judiciously designed and vigorously
executed." Stedman says, " And that the latter, (the
Americans) escaped without suffering any material
injury, seems more owing to a train of fortunate
incidents, judiciously improved by their commander,
than to any want of enterprise or activity in the
army that pursued." Cornwallis seems to have
turned back in moody silence ; for, in his subse-
quent orders, there is not the slightest allusion to
his late disappointment. On the night of the 15th,
he had his head-quarters at Wiley's, where he pro-
bably remained until the morning of the 17th, and
took possession of Thomas's mill to do his grinding.

Wiley's house, in which Cornwallis had his head-
quarters, and which is yet standing, is about four
miles south from Erving's Ferry, and is now owned
and occupied by Samuel Tate. Thomas's mill was
at the mouth of Country Line creek, where, a few
years ago, the Milton Factory stood. (See Appendix,
Orders for February 15, 1781.)

O'Hara's brigade, we suppose, was now at or near
Boyd's Ferry, a few miles above Erving's. (See
Appendix, Orders for February 16, 1781.)

His lordship slowly retired towards Hillsboro',
and made his next stage at Dobbin's, now the Eed
House, where, having given the troops another halt-
ing day, they were guilty of the most shameful
excesses. Some were quartered in the church of
the Eed House, or Middle Hico, as it was then called,
and treated it with the utmost disrespect. Great
outrages were committed in the neighborhood ; nor

THE BEITISH AKMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 65

did they spare the house of their venerated pastor,
the Eev. Hugh McAdam, who was known to have
been a thorough Whig — a "fomentor of sedition,"
as they would term it — and who had died on the
20th of January, about three weeks before ; but
searched it throughout, plundered it of everything
they wanted, and burned his library with his most
valuable papers. Such is the tradition of the coun-
try, and it is confirmed by the Order Book. (See
Appendix, Orders for February 17, 1781.)

The orders given at Dobbin's, as well as at some
other places, show that Cornwallis disapproved of
the marauding and depredations of the soldiers, and
that he made considerable efforts to prevent their
excesses ; but Lord Cornwallis was not Oliver Crom-
well, and he lacked the most important requisite for
that purpose. Soldiers, with arms in their hands,
and far from the kindly influence of their domestic
relations, cannot be kept from plundering, and other
lawless acts, except by the restraints of religion, or
their sense of obligation to a higher power ; but, so
far as we have seen, the British commander exerted
no influence of that kind. If his lordship had
driven General Greene out of the State, he had not
driven away all the patriots ; and his orders betray
a conviction that he was still in the midst of ene-
mies. (See Appendix, Orders for February 18, 1781.)

In this invasion of North Carolina, Cornwallis, as
we have seen, had two objects in view : to get be-
tween General Greene and Virginia, so as to cut
him off' from his main resources, and compel him to
fight before he received his reinforcements; and

Ob REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

then to protect and encourage the loyalists. In the
first he was wholly disappointed, and in the latter
to a great extent. He had been led to believe that
the rising in his favor would be very general, and
with that expectation, evidently, he approached
Hillsboro', then the seat of government. (See Appen-
dix, Orders for February 19, 1781.)

His lordship, as appears from some of the orders
given, had very little respect for his "colored
friends ;" but as they performed a great deal of
drudgery for the officers and army, he appears to
have had no objections to receive as many as came.

On the 20th the army entered Hillsboro', and in
a day or two erected the king's standard. Stedman
says, " Lord Cornwallis having thus driven General
Greene out of the province of North Carolina, re-
turned by easy marches from the banks of the Dan
to Hillsboro', where he erected the king's standard,
and invited by, proclamation all loyal subjects to
repair to it, and take an active part in assisting him
to restore order and constitutional government." By
a morning order of the 21st, it was required that
the troops should be in readiness to march at twelve
o'clock to attend the ceremony of erecting the king's
standard at one o'clock; but by a subsequent order
it was directed that the standard should be raised at
ten o'clock, and by an order elated at twelve, it was
deferred until the next day, the 22d, when the cere-
mony was duly performed. — (See Appendix, Orders
for February 20, 21, 22, 1781.)

On February 22, 1781, the Standard of King
George was erected in Hillsboro'. What forms

THE BRITISH AEMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 67

were used we cannot tell ; but part of the ceremony
consisted in reading a proclamation, of which, the
the following is a copy : —

"By the Right Honorable Charles Earl Cornicallis,

Lieutenant- General of his Majesty 1 s forces, &c.

"A PROCLAMATION.

" Whereas it has pleased the Divine Providence
to prosper the operations of his Majesty's arms, in
driving the rebel army ont of this province; and
whereas it is his Majesty's most gracious wish to
rescue his faithful and loyal subjects from the cruel
tyranny under which they have groaned for many
years, I have thought proper to issue this proclama-
tion, to invite all such faithful and loyal subjects to
repair, without loss of time, with their arms and ten
days' provisions, to the royal standard now erected
at Hillsboro', where they will meet with the most
friendly reception: and I do hereby assure them,
that I am ready to concur with them in effectual
measures for suppressing the remains of rebellion
in this province, and for the re-establishment of
good order and constitutional government.

" Given under my hand, at head-quarters, at Hills-
boro' this twentieth day of February, in the year
of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-
one, and in the twenty-first year of his Majesty's
reign.

11 COENWALLIS.

" By his Lordship's command.

"H. BRODRICK, Aid-de-Camp.
" God save the King."

05 KEVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

Cornwallis did "drive the rebel army out of this
province;" but it would riot stay out; for, according
to Stedman, at the very hour when he was per-
forming the idle ceremony of erecting the king's
standard in Hillsboro', Gen. Greene was landing his
army again on this side of the Dan ; and had already
sent forward his light troops under Williams, Lee,
and Washington, who were now beating up his
lordship's quarters, as appears from one of the
general orders given above. The 2 2d was rather
an ill-omened day for erecting the standard of King
George ; for it was Washington's birth-day, and the
day on which Gen. Greene recrossed the Dan ; at all
events, it had very little effect.

The Whigs had been so dispirited and scattered
by their defeat at the Catawba and Torrence's, that
their enemies probably thought they would not
dare to face the "Ked coats again;" but the rebel-
lious sons of Eowan and Mecklenberg were made
of "sterner stuff " than was supposed; and before
his lordship's tracks in the mud were effaced by the
falling rains, the militia of that region were rally-
ing for further operations. Besides the privations
and hardships which they endured in common with
the patriots generally, they had lately fought seve-
ral important battles, and rendered other valuable
services; but, like the State to which they belonged,
they were intent on the substance, and cared nothing
for the shadow. When South Carolina was over-
run by the enemy, after the fall of Charleston, most
of the inhabitants, to save their property, sub-
mitted and took British protection; but there were

THE BRITISH ARMY IN" NORTH CAROLINA. 69

some stubborn, unbending patriots, who, deter-
mined never to yield, fled into North Carolina
and Virginia. Among them were a few valuable
officers ; but, as appears from the Narrative of
Gen. Graham, recently published in the University
Magazine, they had very few men, not more than
a dozen to each one, from their own State.

Of these officers, Sumpter, and perhaps two or
three others, were appointed to command the North
Carolina troops, as a matter of courtesy, and not
because these troops had not officers of their own
who were as good as the others ; for such men as
Davis, Davidson, Graham, Ervin, Huggins, &c, were
fully equal, for both skill and bravery, to any others
in the land. North Carolina troops then fought
the important battles of Eocky Mount, Hanging
Eock and some others ; but because the commanding
officer was from South Carolina, having been ap-
pointed from courtesy or respect, and not from
necessity, the credit has been unjustly given to that
State. When the British crossed the Catawba, Gen.
Eutherford who had been taken prisoner at Gates'
defeat, was still in captivity ; and the militia of those
counties, having rallied to the number of six or seven
hundred, in completing their organization, appointed
Gen. Andrew Pickens, of South Carolina, though he
had not more than thirty or forty men with him
from his own State, to take the place of Gen. David-
son, who had been killed at the river. On the 10th
of February he was invested with the command,
and on the 11th commenced his march towards
Hillsboro', following the route of the^ British by
6

70 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

the Shallow Ford, ten or twelve miles beyond Salem.
Captain, afterwards Gen. Graham, with his little
company, did not wait for any organization, but
continued to hang on the rear of the British and
harassed them considerably by cutting off stragglers.
Pickens with his command, including Graham's
company, which had now joined him, arrived at
Stony Creek, twelve or fifteen miles from Hills-
boro', before the British army had entered it, and
before any of the light troops from Gen. Greene's
army were known to be even approaching.

Soon after entering Hillsboro', Cornwallis sent
a piquet of twenty-five men under a proper officer
to take possession of Hart's mill, on the Eno, for
the purpose of grinding their grain. Gen. Pick-
ens being informed of this fact, on his arrival at
Stony creek, detached Cap. Graham, with twenty
of his own mounted company and about the same
number of Cap. Simmons' riflemen, who marched in
the night, and at day -break the next morning, killed
and captured the whole party, then returned to the
place of their encampment with their prisoners all
safe and without having lost a man, though Tarleton
was in hot pursuit.

Gen. Greene, well aware of the effect which the
British army in Hillsboro', and the proclamation
of Cornwallis would have on the inhabitants, and
especially on the loyalists, of the surrounding
country, sent over his light troops under Williams,
Lee, and Washington, to harass the enemy's foraging
parties ; and, after resting four or five days, having
received a small reinforcement under Gen. Stephens

THE BKITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 71

and perhaps some militia from North Carolina, re-
crossed the Dan himself, and moved towards the
head-quarters of the British. Lossing says that Lee
crossed the Dan on the 18th and was followed by
Pickens and Oldham, implying that Pickens was
with the main army on the other side of the river;
but he came directly from the west, and according
to the statements of Gen. Graham who was one of
his corps, he was on the field of operations before
Lee. On the morning of the 18th, according to the
Order Book, the British army was at Dobbin's, now
the Bed House, within a few miles of the ferry, and
while they were so near, Lee would hardly have
ventured over, but there are other discrepancies as
to dates, between all the American accounts and
those of the British.

On the authority of Lee's Memoirs and other his-
tories, Lossing says further, that Lee sent out his
scouts, and early on the morning of the 19th, (a
long distance to travel in less than a day,) he was
informed by them that Tarleton was out recon-
noitering and offering protection to the loyalists;
that Lee and Pickens pushed on to gain the great
road leading from Hillsboro' to the Haw ; and that
on arriving there they ascertained that he had
passed the day before, which would be the 18th,
when, according to the Order Book, the British
army was still at the Bed House. Gen. Graham
says that Lee and Pickens did not meet until after
the capture of the mill guard; but as Cornwallis
did not reach Hillsboro' until the 20th, the guard
could not have been captured before the morning

72 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

of the 21st, and was probably done on the morning
of the 2 2d. Tarleton says in his history, that he
was not detached over Haw river until the 23d;
and we can hardly suppose that the Tories had ap-
proached so near as to need his protection at an
earlier day. We are not finding fault with the
statements of Lossing or any other, but are merely
showing the difference in dates between the Ameri-
can and British accounts.

The certainty of Gen. Greene's return, as soon
as reinforced, and the actual presence of his light-
armed parties, under active and enterprising officers,
had a good influence on the disaffected portion of
the community. Tarleton says, that "Soon after
the king's standard was erected at Hillsboro', many
hundred inhabitants of the surrounding districts
rode into the British camp, to talk over the procla-
mation, inquire the news of the day, and take a
view of the king's troops." The generality of these
visitants seemed desirous of peace, but averse to
every exertion that might tend to procure it. They
acknowledged the continentals were chased out of
the province, but they declared they soon expected
them to return, and the dread of violence and per-
secution prevented their taking a decided part in a
cause which yet appeared dangerous. Some of the
most zealous professors of attachment, who were de-
nominated Tories, from their having publicly avowed
their sentiments, "promised to raise corps and regi-
ments for the king's service, but their followers and
dependents protesting against military restraint and
ub ordination, numbers were never found to com-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 73

plete tlieir establishments." However, Cornwallis
still entertained hopes of receiving reinforcements
from that quarter; and it was known to him that
they were embodying under Col. Pyle, in the south
side of Orange, with the intention of joining his
standard at Hillsboro'. They had communicated
their intentions to his lordship, and he had given
them assurance that a British force should be sent
for their protection while assembling, requesting
them at the same time, to come into Hillsboro', or
to join Lieutenant-Colonel Tarleton's corps as soon
as practicable. Accordingly, " Tarleton was de-
tached, on the 23d, with two hundred cavahy, one
hundred and fifty men of Col. Webster's brigade,
and one hundred Yagers, with two field-pieces," to
give them the promised protection ; and on the 24th,
he says he crossed the Haw, where he " dispersed
a party of American militia, who had united to
counteract the intentions of the loyalists." Col. Lee,
who, Gen. Graham says, had joined Pickens, for the
first time, the night after the capture of the picket
at Hart's Mill, soon got information that Tarleton
had been sent out towards the Haw, at the head of
a strong corps, for the protection of the Tories; and,
on gaining the great road leading westward from
Hillsboro' he learned that they had already passed.
After crossing the river next morning, he met
with Ephraim Cook, an easy, good-natured sort of
a Tory, from whom he learned what was Tarleton's
strength and where he had his camp. Cook also
informed him that the embodiment of Tories under
Col. Pyle was approaching and was not far distant.

74 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

He resolved to make his first attack on Tarleton;
but, on approaching the place of his encampment,
he found he had left it and gone two or three miles
further west to the plantation of Col. O'Neill, who,
if not a Tory at heart, as was generally believed,
was more concerned for his own interest than for
that of his country. Two of Tarleton's officers,
however, who had been left at the camp, were cap-
tured by Lee and taken with him. lie made the
country people believe that his legion, which very
much resembled that of Tarleton's, was a reinforce-
ment from Cornwallis ; and the two captured officers
were compelled by a threat of instant death if they
refused to favor the deception. Tarleton, having
got word, it seems, that Lee was approaching at the
head of a strong detachment, consisting of his own
legion, with perhaps some other companies, and five
or six hundred western men under Gen. Pickens,
though not aware of his crossing the river, had sent
two expresses to Col. Pyle, urgiag him to come with
all haste to his encampment and not wait for any
more to come in ; but the credulous Tories, not
apprehensive of any danger, were advancing very
leisurely, taking time to call on their friends by the
way and drink the health of King George with
every one they met. They had known so much of
the courage and enterprise of the Whigs during the
war, that they might have been on their guard ; but,
"inspired with whiskey and the novelty of their
situation," Tarleton says, "they feared nobody, sus-
pected no danger, and were too much under the
influence of imaginary hopes and the vain prospects

THE BEITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. iD

of royal favor to perceive or think of danger until
it was too late."

When the Americans commenced their march,
Lee, at the head of his legion, led the way, and
sent forward a scout, who were to keep within a
few hundred yards. They soon met two young
men from the Tories, who were well mounted, and
taking it for granted that they were British, a part
of the reinforcement, they expressed their gratifica-
tion at meeting with them. When asked by the
officer, they told him they had been sent forward
by Col. Pyle, who was only a little way behind with
a large body of loyalists, to find the way to Tarle-
ton's camp and inform him of their approach. The
officer sent them back to Col. Lee, accompanied by
a dragoon; and, when they came up, supposing him
to be Tarleton, of course, they accosted him with
great deference, and informed him that Col. Pyle was
just at hand. Lee, aiming to take them prisoners,
and give them their choice to go home and stay
there or join the American army, requested Gen.
Pickens to place his riflemen on the left flank and
keep them concealed in the woods, while he would
endeavor to get in such a position that he could
have them fairly in his power before they would be
undeceived.

He also sent off one of the young Tories, accom-
panied by the same dragoon, to give Colonel Pyle
his compliments, and request him to have his men
drawn up in a proper position, where there would
be room enough for him to pass with his weary
troops ; but the other young Tory he retained to ride

76 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

with him, and keep up the delusion. Lee, at the
head of his corps, first approached the loyalists, who,
fortunately for his purpose, were drawn up on the
right hand side of the road, which made it unneces-
sary for those behind to countermarch and confront
them. There were about four hundred, all mounted
and armed with rifles. Colonel Lee rode along the
line, complimenting them very courteously for their
loyalty and their fine appearance; and as he
approached Colonel Pyle, the whole mass shouted,
" God save the King !" Lee's taking Colonel Pyle
by the hand, and summoning them to surrender,
was to be the signal for the cavalry to draw their
swords ; but as he was approaching Pyle for that
purpose, some of the loyalists on the left discovered
Pickens' militia, and perceiving that they had been
betrayed, commenced firing on the rear guard, under
the command of Captain Eggleston, who at once
turned upon them as a matter of necessity, and was
instantty followed by the whole column. Such is,
in substance, the account of this matter, as found in
most of our histories; but General Graham, who
was present, says, in his letter to Judge Murphy,
dated December 20th, 1827, that the Americans
commenced the firing, and gives the following
account :

" The fact was, that I, riding in front of the militia
dragoons, near to Captain Eggleston, who brought
up Lee's rear at the distance of forty or fifty yards,
pointed out to him the strip of reel cloth on the hats
of Pyle's men, as the mark of Tories. Eggleston
appeared to doubt this, until he came nearly oppo-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. il

site to the end of their line ; when, riding up to the
man on their left, who appeared as an officer, he
inquired, "Who do you belong to?" The answer
was promptly given, "To King George;" upon
which Eggleston struck him on the head with his
sword. Our dragoons well knew the red cloth on
the hat to be the badge of Tories, but being under
the immediate command of Lee, they had waited
for orders. But seeing the example set by his
officer, without waiting for further commands, they
rushed upon them like a torrent. Lee's men, next
to the rear, discovering this, reined in their horses
to the right upon the Tory line, and, in less than one
minute, the engagement was general."

A terrible slaughter then followed, indiscrimi-
nate and unsparing, for the swords flashed so
quick, and with such force, that the Tories could not
bring their rifles to bear. They cried for mercy ;
but no mercy was shown, until it could be done
with safety to the victors.

Out of four hundred, about ninety were killed on
the spot, and many more wounded. The Americans
had none killed, and received no injury except the
loss of one horse. Colonel Pyle was badly wounded
and fled to the shelter of a small pond, which was
environed and deeply shaded with oaks, black-jacks
and a variety of undergrowth. In this pond, tra-
dition says, he lay entirely covered by the water,
except his nose, until after dark, when he crawled
out, found his way home, and recovered. This pond
has ever since been called " Pyle's Pond," and the
slaughter of his men still has the designation of

78 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

" Pyle's Hacking Match." This was on the 25th of
February, and was a most important event in our
Eevolutionary history. Stedman, who is generally
candid and reliable when he has correct information,
abuses Lee, in no measured terms, for his treatment
of the Tories under Pyle ; calls it a " massacre," and
says, that " between two and three hundred of them
were inhumanly butchered while in the act of beg-
ging for mercy ;" but he probably got his informa-
tion from the defeated and frightened loyalists, and
was mistaken. Lee was brave, but not cruel ; and if
his stratagem had succeeded, we presume, not a life
would have been taken ; but when the strife had
commenced, it was kill or be killed, and they could
not desist until they had so far disabled their enemies
that they could make no further resistance. Besides,
it was the work of a moment, and the havoc was all
made before the cry for mercy could be fairly heard.
The loyalists seem to have been under a strange
infatuation ; for some of the wounded got to Tarle-
ton's camp, and, still under the belief that their
assailants were the British, complained to him of the
cruelty of his dragoons. Although he was so near,
almost within hearing of the pistols, he says, this
was the first intimation he had of the attack on his
friends, and the first certain information he had that
Colonel Lee was so near him. It was well for him
that he got the information, and that he was recalled
in time, for he made a narrow escape next morning.
As the Tories were so cut up and frightened that it
would be useless to pursue them, Lee and Pickens
went in pursuit of Tarleton, who was at O'Neill's,

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 79

where Mr. Turrentine now lives, on the Greensboro'
road. When within a mile of O'Neill's, they en-
camped for the night, and were there joined by
three hundred hardy mountaineers from Virginia,
under Colonel Preston, who were on their way to
General Greene's head-quarters. Tarleton says,
" Patrols were sent out to learn the course the
American dragoons had taken after this event, and
assistance was despatched to the wounded loyalists.
After dark, information was procured of the distance
and position of the mountaineers, and when the
British troops were under arms, at midnight, to pro-
ceed towards their encampment, an express arrived
from Earl Cornwallis, with an order for Lieutenant-
Colonel Tarleton's return to Hillsboro'." Tarle-
ton was perhaps fiery and impetuous enough to
attack Colonel Lee ; but if he had attacked him,
with the reinforcements just received under Preston,
it would have been another " Cowpen affair ;" and
it was well for him that he received the order to
return just when he did. Cornwallis had been
apprised that General Greene was approaching, and
that Colonel Lee was in the neighborhood, at the
head of a strong detachment, which was receiving
almost daily accessions.

When Pyle and the main body left Holt's house,
on their way to the scene of discomfiture, Thomas
Creighton and John Honeycut stayed behind awhile,
probably drinking and enjoying themselves, until
some Whigs came along, and, as usual in such cases,
asked them to whom they belonged. They replied,
"To Colonel Pyle;" and Honeycut was killed on

80 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

the spot, but Creighton escaped with a wound in the
hip, which did not prove mortal. Drury Honeycut
was at the " Hacking Match," and was desperately
mangled. Some one gave him a number of severe
cuts with his sword on the head, neck, face and arms,
and then left him for dead. Another coming along,
and seeing that he was not dead, gave him a back-
handed stroke with his sword across the nose, which
cut both cheeks to the bone, and then shot him with
his pistol ; but the wound was not mortal. He aimed
to shoot him in the head, but the pistol being hard
on the trigger, the ball struck his arm near the
shoulder and broke it. After all, he recovered, and
lived many years, but was a pitiable object to
behold.

The news of Pyle's defeat must have been carried
to Hillsboro' that evening, and in the night Corn-
wallis dispatched a trusty messenger to Tarleton with
orders for his return. The messenger was a Tory,
a young man who was well acquainted with every
by-path through the intervening country, and
arrived at Tarleton's camp about day-break. Many
years after he related the following incident, illus-
trative of Tarlton's character, which was first pub-
lished in the Petersburg Intelligencer, and then in
the Greensboro' Patriot. " As soon," says the old
Tory, u as I came in view of the British lines, I
hastened to deliver myself up to the nearest patrol,
informing him that I was the bearer of important
dispatches from Lord Cornwallis to Col. Tarleton.
The guard was immediately called out, the com-
mander of which, taking me in charge, carried me

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 81

at once to Tarleton's marque. A servant informed
him of my arrival, and returned immediately with
the answer that his master would see me after a
while, and that in the meantime I was to await his
pleasure where I then was. The servant was a
grave and sedate looking Englishman, between 30
and 60 years of age, and informed me that he had
known Col. Tarleton from his earliest youth, having
lived for many years in the family of his father, a
worthy clergyman, at whose particular request he
had followed the Colonel to this country, with the
view, that if overtaken by disease and suffering in
his head-long career, he might have some one near
him who had known him ere the pranksome mischief
of the boy had hardened into the sterner vices of
the man ' He was always a wild blade, friend,' said
old man, ' and many a heart-ache has he given us
all; but he'll mend in time, I hope.' Just then
my attention was attracted by the violent plungings
of a horse, which two stout grooms, one on each
side, were endeavouring to lead towards the spot
where we were standing. He was a large and power-
ful brute, beautifully formed, and black as a crow,
with an eye that actually seemed to blaze with rage,
at the restraint put upon him. His progress was one
continued bound, at times swinging the grooms
clear from the earth, as lightly as though they were
but tassels hung on his huge Spanish bit, so that
with difficulty they escaped being trampled under
foot. I asked the meaning of the scene, and was
informed that the horse was one that Tarleton had
heard of as being a magnificent animal, but one

82 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

altogether unmanageable ; and so delighted was he
with the description, tha,t he sent all the way down
into Moore county, where his owner resided, and
purchased him at the extravagant price of one hun-
dred guineas ; and that, moreover, he was about to
ride him that morning. ' Ride him,' said I, ' why
one had as well try to back a streak of lightning ! —
the mad brute will certainly be the death of him.'
' Never fear for him,' said my companion, ' never
fear for him. His time has not come yet.' By this
time the horse had been brought up to where we
were ; the curtain of the marque was pushed aside,
and my attention was drawn from the savage stud,
to rivet itself upon his dauntless rider. And a pic-
ture of a man he was ! Rather below the middle
height, and with a face almost femininely beautiful,
Tarleton possessed a form that was a perfect model
of manly strength and vigor. Without a particle
of superfluous flesh, his rounded limbs and full broad
chest seemed moulded from iron, yet at the same
time displaying all the elasticity which usually
accompanies elegance of proportion. His dress
(strange as it may appear) was a jacket and breeches
of white linen, fitted to his form with the utmost
exactness. Boots of russet leather were halfway
up the leg, the broad tops of which were turned
down, the heels garnished with spurs of an immense
size and length of rowel. On his head was a low
crowned hat, curiously formed from the snow white
feathers of the swan, and in his hand he carried a
heavy scourge, with shot well twisted into its
knotted lash. After looking around for a moment

THE BKITISH ARMY IN" NORTH CAROLINA. 83

or two, as though to command the attention of all,
he advanced to the side of the horse, and, disdaining
the use of the stirrup, with one bound threw him-
self into the saddle, at the same time calling on the
grooms to let him go. For an instant the animal
seemed paralyzed; then, with a perfect yell of rage,
bounded into the air like a stricken deer.

" The struggle for the mastery had commenced
— bound succeeded bound with the rapidity of
thought; every device which its animal instinct
could teach was resorted to by the maddened brute
to shake off its unwelcome burden — but in vain.
Its ruthless rider proved irresistible, and, clinging
like fate itself, plied the scourge and rowel like a
fiend. The punishment was too severe to be long
withstood, and at length, after a succession of frantic
efforts, the tortured animal, with a scream of agony,
leaped forth upon the plain, and flew across it with
the speed of an arrow. The ground upon which
Tarleton had pitched his camp was an almost per-
fectly level plain, something more than half a mile
in circumference. Around this, after getting him
under way, he continued to urge his furious steed,
amid the raptures and shouts of the admiring
soldiery, plying the whip and spur at every leap,
until wearied and worn down with its prodigious
efforts, the tired creature discontinued all exertion,
save that to which it was urged by its merciless
rider.

" At length, exhausted from the conflict, Tarleton
drew up before his tent, and threw himself from the
saddle. The horse was completely subdued, and at

84 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

the word of command followed him around like a
dog. The victory was complete. His eye of fire
was dim and lustreless, drops of agony fell from his
drooping front, while from his laboring and mangled
sides the mingled blood and foam poured in a thick
and clotted stream. Tarleton himself was pale as
death, and as soon as he was satisfied of his success,
retired and threw himself on his couch. In a short
time I was called into his presence, and delivered
my despatches. Immediately orders were issued to
make preparation for a return to Hillsboro', as soon
as all the scouts had come in ; and the next morn-
ing early found us again beyond the Haw river —
and in good time too, for as the last files were
emerging from the stream the advance of Lee's
legion appeared on the opposite bank, and, with a
shout of disappointed rage, poured a volley into the
ranks of the retreating columns.

"I have witnessed many stirring scenes," said the
old man, " both during the revolution and since, but
I never saw one half so exciting as the strife
between that savage man and savage horse."

The apprehensions of Cornwallis for the safety of
his favorite officer were immediately excited, and
everything in his order, a copy of which is sub-
j oined, betrays his anxiety.

"Copy. — From Earl Cornwallis to Lieutenant- Colonel
Tarleton, dated Hillsboro\ Feb. 24:(h, 1781. Three
o'clock, P. M. Triplicate.

11 Dear Tarleton — I have received intelligence

THE BEITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 85

from two persons, that Greene passed the Dan on
the 2 2d, and was advancing to Dobbyn's. They
mention so many particulars, that I cannot help
giving some credit, I therefore wish you to join me
as soon as possible.

"Yours, sincerely,

" CORNWALLIS.

" I take my ground this evening on the south
side of the Eno."

From respect for authority, if not from fear of his
enemies, Tarleton promptly obeyed the order ; and
at 10 o'clock the next morning, when the Ameri-
cans had made their arrangements for attack, they
learned that he was on his way to Hillsboro \ They
followed him as far as the ford on the river ; but on
being informed that he had passed, they discontinued
the pursuit, and he was suffered to proceed without
molestation. "Fortune, the capricious goddess,"
says Lee, in his Memoirs, " gave us Pyle and saved
Tarleton." Finding that they could not overtake
Tarleton, until he got within supporting distance of
Cornwallis, Lee and Pickens turned up the river,
on the east side, and, after going a few miles, separ-
ated for the purpose of procuring the necessary
supplies. In the evening of the next day, Pickens
encamped within half a mile of a Mr. Dickey's, and,
having learned, in the course of the day, that the
British were pursuing him, he placed a strong rear-
7

Ot) REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

guard at the ford of a branch near Dickey's house.
A patrol was sent out beyond the guard, under Cap-
tain Franklin, since Governor of the State, who, at
a fork in the road, a hundred yards from the house,
took the right hand road and missed the enemy ; but
Major Micajah Lewis, of Surry county, with a few
others went to Dickey's house, and in the twilight,
discovered a body of British troops coming round
by the road on the other side of the fence. They
mounted their horses and rode out to meet them.
When hailed, they halted and answered, " a friend."
On being asked where they came from, they answer-
ed, "from General Greene to join General Pickens,"
and enquired of Major Lewis, if Captain Franklin
had not told him they were coming for that purposs.
He answered in the negative ; but as he knew Frank-
lin, and was aware that he had gone in that direction
only a few minutes before, he was thrown off his
guard. He ordered the leading officer to meet him
half way and give the proper explanations, at the
same time, moving forward himself; but seeing
none of them advance, he was about to halt and turn
his horse, when he was ordered to " stand, or they
would blow his brains out." As his horse turned,
they discharged at him a full platoon of twenty or
thirty guns which broke his thigh and wounded
him badly in several other places. His horse was
also shot in several places ; but he rode by the guard
and into the camp, a full half mile, where he was
taken from his horse and carried in a blanket by
four men, to the nearest farm house where he died
next day, much lamented as a brave and patriotic

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 87

man. He belonged to the North Carolina line, and
was then serving as a volunteer, but without any
command. He was buried on Dickey's plantation
where his grave may still be seen. The British
drove in the guard at the branch, arid Pickens not
knowing what amount of force was coming against
him, retreated three or four miles and halted, leav-
ing a strong guard half a mile in the rear. Their
camp-fires were kindled and the men, or such of
them as had any provisions, were preparing to
eat, when the guard was again driven in, and they
retreated once more, though in a different direc-
tion and about the same distance; but cold and
damp as the night was, they kindled no more fires,
General Graham says, until the morning, when they
learned that the British were returning to head-
quarters. Cornwallis remained in Hillsboro' only
half as long as he had promised the Tories ; but he
could accomplish nothing by remaining longer ; and
a variety of circumstances compelled him to leave.
In the meantime, as the Order Book shows, he
neither relaxed his vigilance, nor neglected to pro-
vide for the comfort of his troops. {See Appendix,
Orders for February 23, (*24,) 26, 25, 1781.)

* There is some confusion of dates in the last two or three
orders, for which I cannot account unless the transcriber mis-
took the 24th for the 26th, and I have accordingly put the
24th in parenthesis, for he removed over the Eno on the
afternoon of the 24th, and the last order under date of the
26th, as it here stands relates to that removal ; but he left
Hillsboro' early on the morning of the 26th, and must be a
mistake in date in either the original or in the copy.

88 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

"With full reliance on the valor and discipline of
his troops, Cornwallis was anxious to meet his
enemies in the open field ; but cooped up as he was
in town, he was harassed without being able to
strike a blow. Gen. Greene had re-crossed the
Dan, and advanced within ten or twelve miles of
Hillsboro' where he was waiting for more re-inforce-
ments. His light troops under the most daring and
enterprising officers, such as Williams, Lee, Howard,
Washington and Preston, were scouring the country
and cutting off his supplies. They had already cut
up a large body of his friends in the neighborhood.
They were increasing every day in the boldness of
their adventures, as well as in numbers, and were
frustrating the main design of his advance into
that region.

Being thus confined within narrow limits and not
daring to forage far from camp, nor to forage at all
without a very strong guard, they were under a
necessity of changing their location. Stedman says,
" There being few cattle to be had in its neighbor-
hood, and those principally draught-oxen, Lord
Cornwallis had promised that they should not be
slaughtered but in case of absolute necessity;" but
that necessity did exist, and compelled the author
(Stedman himself) to direct that several of the
draught-oxen should be killed. This measure,
although the effect of necessity, caused much mur-
muring among the loyalists, whose property these
cattle were. During the time the royal army held
Hillsboro' the author's cattle drivers were obliged to
go a considerable distance from the army for cattle,

THE BKITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 89

and even then brought in but a scanty supply.
Lord Cornwallis could not have remained as long
as he did at Hillsboro' had it not been for a quan-
tity of salt beef, pork, and some hogs, found in the
town. Such was the situation of the British army,
that the author, with a file of men, was obliged to go
from house to house throughout the town, to take
provisions from the inhabitants, many of whom
were greatly distressed by this measure, which
could be justified only by extreme necessity." His
lordship, therefore, "thought it expedient to retire
from Hillsboro', and take a position between the
Haw and Deep river, so as effectually to cover
the country in his rear;" and accordingly, on the
eveuing of the 25th, he issued his orders for that
purpose. — (See Appendix, Orders for February 25,
26, 27, 28, and March 1, 1781.)

On the morning of this day they crossed the
Big Alamance, and encamped within a mile of the
place where Holt's factory now stands, where they
remained several days. The soldiers and camp-
followers together often plundered so much cloth-
ing and other property, from the people of the
country, as we infer from the Order Book, that it
became burdensome, and the officers had much of
it burned. — (See Appendix, Orders for March 1, 2, 3,
4, 1781, and October 5, 1780.)

As Cornwallis moved westward from Hillsboro',
the Americans advanced in the same direction. On
the 27th, the day on which his lordship crossed the
Haw, the American light troops, under Williams,
having been joined by Lee, Pickens, and some

90 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

others, crossed below the mouth of the Buffalo
creek, and next morning the army under Greene,
having received some accessions of militia, crossed
a few miles above. He encamped between the
Reedy Fork and Troublesome creek ; but from pru-
dential considerations, as he was not ready for an
engagement, he changed his position every night,
and placed Colonel Williams, with the light corps
under his command, between him and the enemy,
only some fifteen or twenty miles distant. This
arrangement threw the light troops of the British un-
der Tarleton, and those of the Americans, under Wil-
liams, in close proximity, and, as the officers on both
sides were too enterprising to be idle, several skir-
mishes took place. Lossing says, that Williams, hav-
ing approached within a mile of Tarleton, on the 2d
of March, the latter attacked him, when a short but
severe skirmish ensued, in which the enemy lost about
thirty in killed and wounded, while the Americans
lost none. Tarleton, who always loved to speak favor-
ably of himself, says that a number of the Ameri-
can riflemen were killed, but that their loss, in killed
and wounded, was only twenty men and one officer
wounded ; but the account given by General Gra-
ham, in his narrative or declaration, and his letter
to Judge Murphy, published in the University
Magazine for November and December, 1854, is
probably more reliable, as he was an eye witness
and a prominent actor in the scene. It is as follows :
" Both armies having got to the south of Haw
river, near Alamance creek, on the second of March
a detachment of about six hundred, all militia

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 91

except Lee's legion, advanced in three columns,
under his command. This deponent and company
in front of the left, with orders to support the left
flank. After passing through a farm, near Clapp's
mill, and entering a coppice of woods, encountered
a large party of the enemy drawn up in position.
A smart firing commenced, and after three or four
rounds our line gave way; the ground was so
hampered with thick underbrush, and the Tories
pressing us on the left flank, the retreat was effected
with difficulty. Ketreated about one mile to the
ford on Big Alamance, where Colonel Otho Williams,
the regulars under his command, and "Washington's
cavalry, were drawn up to support us. The enemy
did not pursue more than five hundred yards. In
the affair, two were killed, three wounded, and two
taken prisoners, of this deponent's company — seven
in all." Then follows an account of some other
operations in the course of the next day and night,
which, not being noticed any where else, are worthy
our attention :

" The day after the battle at Clapp's mill, Colonel
Lee ordered this deponent to take twenty -five men
and go to where the battle was, and see if the enemy
were there ; if gone, take their trail, credit no report
of the inhabitants, but proceed till we actually saw
the British troops. At the battle ground, found the
British had gone, after burying their own dead and
leaving ours. Took the trail ; in the evening came
in view of their sentries on the Salisbury road,
within one-half a mile of their head-quarters, and
directly despatched a sergeant and six of the party

92 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

to inform Lee ; the rest of our party moved, after
dark, through the woods, with the view of taking
two sentries we had seen in the evening. In this
we failed ; but after they had fired at us, we went
briskly up the main road. In half a mile, met a
patrol of their cavalry, about equal to our number;
after hailing briskly, discharged a volley in their
faces ; they retreated and took to the woods. We
took their officer prisoner, the rest escaped. We
turned out of the road into an obscure path ; in half
a mile, halted to take some refreshment. On the
great road opposite to us, a quarter of a mile dis-
tant, heard a scattering fire, and considerable noise,
which lasted for some time. Two days after, Ave
learned from a deserter, that, on report of the sen-
tries in the evening, the patrol was sent up the road
after us, and were returning when we met and dis-
persed them. When they came into camp from
different directions, upwards of one hundred cavalry
were sent up the road after us, and at eleven o'clock
at night, met a company of Tories coming to join
them. Not doubting that it was the party which
had defeated their picket, they instantly charged
them, and considerable slaughter was made before
it was discovered they were friends. These small
affairs did more to suppress Toryism to the South
than anything that had before occurred. A few
days before, at Pyle's defeat, they had been cut up
by Lee's men, and ours, when they thought it was
their friend, Tarleton; in the present case, they were
cut up by the British, when they thought it was the
Americans."

THE BKITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 93

The retrograde movement of Cornwallis from
Hillsboro', just as Greene's army was approaching,
though a matter of necessity, had an unfavorable
effect on the Tories ; for, as he said in his letter to
Lord George Germain, under date of March 17th,
he found himself "amongst timid friends, and
adjoining to inveterate rebels," so that he could
neither get assistance nor information respecting the
movements of his enemy. Stedman says, "If the
loyalists were before cautious and slow, they now
became timid to an excess, and dreaded taking any
active measure whatsoever in behalf of the king's
government ; more especially when they reflected on
the disaster that had happened to Colonel Pyle,
whose detachment was cut to pieces within little
more than a mile of Tarleton's encampment." While
encamped on the Alamance, so far as we can learn,
he received not more than two small accessions of
Tories, under Colonels Field and Bryan ; perhaps
only the one under Colonel Field, for, as Bryan had
joined them the fall before, at Cheraw, he might
have continued with them, or rejoined them near
the Yadkin — but that is a matter of very little con-
sequence. We know that he was with them on the
Alamance only from the Order Book, and he may
have joined them there. Some ten days before,
Colonel Field, with a corps of loyalists and a few
Whig prisoners, was on his way toPyle's camp ; but
before he reached it, he heard of the "Hacking
Match" at Holt's, when he dismissed his prisoners
on parole and returned home, or remained among
his friends in that region, waitinsr for further devel-

94 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

opments. It was not Colonel Pyle's intention to
join the British so soon, but he was hurried on by
Cornwallis and Tarleton to his own ruin. Hence
Field was too late ; and, on other accounts, it was
probably a fortunate occurrence, for, being a man of
more firmness and military experience than Pyle,
he might have given a different turn to the whole
affair. We presume he reached Cornwallis' camp
on the fourth 1 ; for we find duties assigned him there
for the fifth, which would hardly have been done on
the day of his arrival.

The British army, while on the Alamance, though
they thought they were among friends, were greatly
annoyed, and could not have remained long without
being cut off in detail. Stragglers were captured,
and small foraging parties were attacked and routed,
some of them killed, and the rest compelled to return
empty handed. When a party was sent any distance
from the camp, to forage, half the army had to go
along for their protection. Tarleton tells us, that
on the morning of the third, he was sent out at the
head of a strong corps, consisting of two hundred
cavalry, the light company of the Guards, eighty
Yagers, one hundred and fifty of Webster's Bri-
gade, two six-pounders, and the regiment of Bose —
in all not less than ten or twelve hundred. They
went only six miles, and had to remain over night,
during which time their patrols were frequently
driven in ; but after a night of alarm and anxiety,
next morning, the forage being completed, they
returned to camp.

The proximity of Greene, his increasing strength,

THE BEITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 95

and the boldness of his light-armed corps, at length
induced his lordship to go in pursuit with his entire
force. Having learned on the fifth, Stedman says,
' ' that their light troops were carelessly posted, he
crossed the Alamance before sunrise, and, under
cover of a thick fog, marched towards the Reedy
Fork. But Williams was not to be caught in that '
way ; for, about eight o'clock in the morning, his
patrols discovered that the British were advancing
on the road to Wetzell's mill, an important pass on
the Eeedy Fork. Every possible exertion was made
to overtake the retreating Americans ; and General
Graham says, "Colonel Webster, with the elite of
the British army, for twelve miles pressed us so
closely, as to compel Colonel Otho Williams, the
commander, to fight at this place." Tarleton's corps
led the column, and were supported by Webster.
They first encountered a covering party of one
hundred and fifty Virginia militia, who boldly
returned the fire, but were then obliged to retire
over the creek, and join the main body. In this
party were a number of Whigs, volunteers from
Guilford county, among whom were Kobert Shaw,
William McAdoo, and William Eyan. Shaw was
severely wounded, but was saved from falling into
the hands of the enemy by McAdoo, who drew him
up across the pommel of his saddle, almost under
the guns of the British, and carried him away. The
British infantry followed, and met with a warm
reception by Lee's infantry and Campbell's riflemen.
Webster was quickly reinforced by the light com-
pany of the Guards and the Yagers, and these were

96 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

supported by artillery, placed on the high ground
near the creek. Williams, perceiving that the
militia, who were not used to artillery, were becom-
ing alarmed, ordered a retreat, and followed himself
with Howard's battalion, flanked by Kirkwood's
Delaware infantry and the infantry of Lee's legion,
covered by Washington's cavalry. In this conflict,
it is said, the Americans lost about fifty in killed
and wounded. Tarleton, who never exaggerates his
own loss, nor underrates that of his enemy, says
the Americans lost over a hundred in killed and
wounded, but that the killed and wounded of the
British amounted to about thirty. Gordon says,
Sergeant-Major Perry and Quarter-master-Sergeant
Lumsford, of Lee's dragoons, performed a very bold
manoeuvre. They were separately detached, with
four dragoons, to make observations. They saw
sixteen or eighteen British horsemen ride into a
farm-house yard in an irregular manner, and some
of them dismount. The two young men joined
their forces, charged the horsemen, and, in sight of
Tarleton's legion, cut every man down. They then
retired without a scar.

The escape of Colonel Webster, on this occasion,
has been the subject of much admiration ; and, if
the statements in history are reliable, it can be
accounted for only by ascribing it to a higher power.
In the woods near the mill, where some riflemen
were stationed, was an old log school-house. In
this building, twenty-five of the most expert marks-
men, who were at King's Mount, were stationed by
Lee, with orders not to engage in the general con-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 97

flictj but to pick off officers at a distance. When
Webster entered the stream, and was slowly fording
its rocky bed, the marksmen all discharged their
rifles at him in consecutive order, each certain of
hitting him, yet not a ball touched him or his horse.
Thirty -two discharges were made without effect I

On the approach of Cornwallis, General Greene,
not feeling strong enough yet for a general engage-
ment, retreated across the Haw, and avoided his
enemy. By changing his position every day, they
never knew where to find him, and could only strike
at his light-armed parties, which was accomplishing
very little. Both Tarleton and Stedman reflect on
his lordship in very plain terms, for not pursuing
Greene from the Keedy Fork, because they thought
that, by so doing, he might have intercepted his
supplies, or cut off his reinforcements, which were
approaching from the east ; and certainly, if either
of these things had been done, it might have entirely
changed the final results. But he had already given
Greene one long, hard and fruitless chase, which had
only worried his troops, without any advantage, and
no wonder he was unwilling to try it again. He
could depend on the valor and discipline of his
troops ; but in stratagem and manceuvering, Greene
was fully his match ; so that he acted wisely, we
suppose, in saving his men for the general conflict,
which he knew must come, and in which he could
have better hopes of success. Instead of pursuing
the Americans beyond the Eeedy Fork, he turned
back, and quartered his army mostly on the Whig
portions of Old Guilford, going from one settlement

98 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

to another, as necessity required, until the battle
which forced him to leave the country. On the
night after the skirmish at Wetzell's mill, he had
his head-quarters at Alton's ; but that was too small
an affair to be noticed in his general orders. (See
Appendix, Orders for March 6 and 7, 1781.)

From the skirmish at Wetzell's mill, until the
battle at the Court House, Cornwallis remained in
this county, quartering his army on the inhabitants,
and remaining about two clays in a place. Thus we
find them successively at Alton's, Duffield's, Gorrell's,
McQuisten's, and Deep river; but we have no par-
ticulars except what we get from the traditions of
the country.

On the 7th or 8th, their light troops were quar-
tered on the plantation of William Eankin, a man
in good circumstances, a sound Whig, and a mem-
ber in the Buffalo church. As Cornwallis, when
passing through the north side of this county in
pursuit of Greene, had offered a reward for Dr.
Caldwell, he felt that neither himself nor anything
he had was safe at home, and, thinking Eankin's
house, which was in a retired situation and remote
from any public road, a place of more security than
his own, he had sent there, privately, some of his
most valuable books and papers ; but the dragoons
coming on these books, while searching and plun-
dering the house, and finding his name in them, took
the whole, books and papers together, and threw
them into the fire.

No British officer during the war, except, per-
haps, Colonel Fanning, was guilty of more heartless

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 99

cruelty, or showed a greater destitution of those
humane and honorable feelings, which have been the
boast of Protestant nations, than Colonel Tarleton.
While the army was quartered at Rankin's, and in
the neighborhood, he was scouring the country one
moroing, at the head of his dragoons, for the pur-
pose of getting information of General Greene's
movements, and of giving protection to the forage-
wagons, when he met old John McClintock on the
High Rock road, and near the place where Milton
Cunningham now lives. McClintock, then an old
grey-headed man, was the maternal grandfather of
the present Judge Dick — to whom I am indebted
for the incident — and lived on the south side of the
Reedy Fork, only a mile or two from the place
where he met Tarleton. Having learned that the
British were on the North Buffalo, five or six miles
below, he had gone over the creek to inform his son
in-law, Samuel Thompson — oldest son of Robert
Thompson, who was killed by Gov. Tryon on the
morning of the Regulation battle — that he might
escape, and was now returning home. After asking
McClintock a number of questions, such as, where
he lived, &c, Tarleton asked him if he had ever
seen Lee's troop of cavalry ; to which he replied in
the negative. " Well," said Tarleton, pointing back
to his dragoons, "there they are. This is Colonel
Lee's troop." He next asked him where he was
going ? To which he replied, in perfect simplicity,
and without a thought of being duped, that he had
been over the creek to inform his son-in-law, Samuel
Thompson, of the enemy's approach, and was now

100 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

returning. Tarleton then told Mm to turn about
and go along with him ; and, supposing that he was
with Colonel Lee, he promptly obeyed. As they
started off together, side by side, Tarleton said to
him, "I presume, sir, you are too old to right or be
on the muster-list, but if the British were to come
along, what would you do ?" " Blood !" said the old
man, the fire of patriotism kindling in him, and
using his common word of affirmation, "Blood! I
would shoot at them as long as I could stand to
shoot." " You infernal old rebel I" said Tarleton ;
" I have a mind to blow out your brains," at the
same time drawing and presenting his pistol. " We
are the British, and I am Colonel Tarleton." Then,
turning his pistol in his hand, he rubbed the butt
end of it on his nose, and told him to kiss that, for
a d — d old rascal. Such a wanton insult, offered to
a man of his age and respectability, can excite
no other feelings than those of indignation. But
this was not all, nor the worst ; for, holding his pis-
tol still in the same position, he struck the old man
on the head with the butt of it, and knocked him
off his horse. Having done so, he told him he might
go now, but he must leave his horse, which was a
very valuable one ; and then leaving him to die or
get home in the best way he could, he went on his
way. As the troop rode by, he saw his son-in-law,
Thompson, among them ; for they had either come
by his house or met with him on the road, and
taken him prisoner.

They were obliged to change their locality every
day or two, in order to procure sustenance for man

THE BKITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 101

and horse ; but the Order Book contains nothing
except the detail of sentinels, picquets and foraging
parties. (See Appendix, Orders for March 7, 8, 9,
10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 1781.)

"While his lordship was thus leisurely passing
through the country, desolating every plantation on
which he camped, and every neighborhood through
which he passed, he was not altogether unmolested ;
for the traditions of the country are confirmed by
the statements of Tarleton, who, when speaking of
their course after the skirmish at Wetzell's mill,
says, "They accordingly moved in a south-west
direction for a few days, while Gen. Greene col-
lected, without molestation, his militia, his eighteen
months' men, and his continentals ; when he ad-
vanced towards a good position over the Eeedy
Fork with an army of seven thousand men, and
pushed forward his light troops to attack the rear
of the British as they crossed a branch of Deep
river. The legion dragoons repulsed the enemy's
detachment with some loss, and the royal army
encamped on the 13th at the Quaker's meeting-
house." About fifteen years ago, James Edwards,
a member of the Quaker Society, who lived some
three or four miles from New Garden, and who
was, at the time of the skirmish, about twenty-one
years of age, gave me, in substance, the following
account : —

In the afternoon of Tuesday, the day on which
the British left McCuisten's and Dr. Caldwell's, he
said they heard distinctly at his father's, a mile or
two distant, the firing of pistols and a desperate

102 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

screaming of the women and children attached to
the army. Next morning, Wednesday, he passed
by the place, in company with his father and one
or two of the neighbors, on their way to meeting
at New Garden, and they counted twenty-six horses
lying dead on the ground, nine of which were
within a space of twenty steps, and the rest were
scattered about in every direction. Four or five of
them were iron-greys, and the others were mostly
of a bay-color; but they had all been fine horses.
Their attention was presently attracted by their
dogs to a large, hollow log, which was near a
spring and about two hundred yards distant. As
the wolves were then numerous and were following
in the course of the army, like jackal's, they sup-
posed that one had got into the log, where the dogs
were baying it; but, on going up, they found a dead
man in the log. He had crawled in and died there';
but whether he was British or American, they did
not know. They filled up the open end of the log
with stones and brush, which was all the funeral
honors he ever received, and there his mouldering
dust probably remains to this day. Edwards said
he understood that two of the British were killed
on the ground; but how many were wounded on
either side, he never learned. One of Col. Lee's
men was so badly wounded that he died within a
few days at a house in the neighborhood, and Ed-
wards said that he nursed him, or attended on him
regularly until the night before he died. This
affair happened a little above what is still called
Edward's Cross Roads; and, as he had, at my re-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 103

quest, accompanied me from his own house, he
took me to the spring near which they found the
dead man in the hollow log, but both man and log
had disappeared.

Gen. Greene now had his camp in an advan-
tageous position near Speedwell Iron Works, and
only twelve or fifteen miles from the Court-house.
One end of the encampment was about half a mile
north-east from the " Works," and extended a mile
along the road towards Danville, where the traces
of his entrenchments are still seen. He had been
endeavoring all along to draw his enemy towards
Martinville, the ground selected as the scene of
conflict, more than a month before, when on his
retreat to the Dan ; and this fact is noticed by Sted-
man, who, when speaking of his movement just
before the skirmish at Wetzell's Mill, says, " The
American light troops and militia were posted
upon the branches of the Eeedy Fork, whilst Gen.
Greene, with the main arnry, inclined towards Guil-
ford Court-house." The pending contest was viewed
by the whole community, Whigs and Tories, with in-
creasing interest as the time approached ; for much
was at stake, and a wrong move by either of the
commanders was likely to involve himself and his
cause in ruin. British valor and discipline were
regarded by the Tories as invincible, and had a
kind of talismanic influence. They could hardly
believe that after Gates' defeat, the retreat of Gen.
Greene, and the uniform success of the British arms
hitherto, the Americans would again risk a general
engagement, and were therefore hoping for a speedy

104 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

termination of the contest. The Whigs were en-
couraged by the increased numbers of Gen. Greene
and the protection of a Higher Power. On both
sides there was full confidence in the commanders ;
for their courage and ability had been fully tried,
and they were well matched ; but as the one had
always been victorious, and the other never had
known what it was to gain a victory, if he should
gain one now it would be because " The race is not
to the swift nor the battle to the strong."

Having received his expected reinforcements, con-
sisting of a brigade of militia from Virginia, under
Gen. Lawson, two from North Carolina, under Gene-
rals Butler and Eaton, and four hundred regulars,
raised for eighteen months, Gen. Greene lost no
time in giving his enemy battle. His whole force
now amounted to four thousand two hundred and
forty-three foot, and one hundred and sixty-one
cavalry, only one thousand four hundred and ninety
of which were regular troops, and some of them
were new levies. The different corps and brigades
were as follows: — Huger's brigade of Virginia
continentals, seven hundred and seventy- eight ;
Williams' Maryland brigade and a company of
Dela wares, six hundred and thirty; infantry of
Lee's legion, eighty -two; total of continental regu-
lars, one thousand four hundred and ninety. Two
brigades of North Carolina militia, one thousand
and sixty; two brigades of Virginia militia, one
thousand six hundred and ninety-three — total, two
thousand seven hundred and fifty -three. Washing-
ton's light dragoons, eighty; Lee's legion, seventy-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 105

five; and forty horse under the Marquis of Bre-
tagne, a French nobleman, were added next day.
Thinking himself now strong enough to meet his
enemy, Gen. Greene called in his light troops
under Williams, formed the whole into one army,
and on the 14th, moved down to Martinville, where
he encamped for the night, and convenient to
the destined scene of action. Cornwallis being
informed of this movement on the part of General
Greene, immediately prepared for the conflict, by
calling in the pickets and mill-guard, and by de-
taching Col. Hamilton with most of his baggage to
Bell's Mill, escorted by his own regiment of North
Carolinians, one hundred infantry and twenty cav-
alry. Orders were given at night for an early
move in the morning, and they started some time
before day. — {See Appendix, Orders for March 14,
1781.)

How many of the British were engaged in the
battle is uncertain. There may have been a good
many Tories, and in this way the discrepancies
between the British and American authorities might
be reconciled ; for his lordship, from prudential
considerations, makes no mention of that class,
except the passing notice in his Order Book, which
he did not expect would ever be seen in this country.
They had some from the Scotch region ; for I have
been told that Colonels Eay and McDougal were
there; but how many men they had was never
known. It is probable that Colonels Field and
Bryan were there with their respective corps ; for
it is said that Col. Field continued with them until

106 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

they surrendered at Yorktown. How many men
they had we cannot tell ; but, when mentioned in
the Order Book, they had each of them men enough
to have a special, separate and important service
assigned them. Hardly any of the American his-
torians estimate his force at less than from two
thousand to twenty-four hundred, and, counting the
Tories, it may have been considerably more.

A battle was now certain ; but as the precise time
when the British would approach could not be
known, Col. Lee was sent out, probably the evening
before, with his legion and a detachment of rifle-
men, under Col. Campbell, to reconnoitre and com-
municate intelligence. Above New Garden meeting
house he met the British van, consisting of cavalry,
some light infantry and Yagers, under Col. Tarleton.
Lee, sending an express back to Gen. Greene, turned,
and retreated slowly with the view of drawing them
as far from the main army and as much towards
Martinsville as possible. Tarleton — the fiery Tarle-
ton — and his cavalry, pressed upon Capt. Armstrong,
who was in the rear, in the hope of throwing them
into confusion, but in vain. After a second charge,
when their pistols were empty, Lee turned, and
with the troops of Rudolph and Eggleston, in close
column, rushed upon them with irresistible impetu-
osity. Tarleton, knowing the superiority of the
American horses, and fearing the consequences of
such an onset, sounded a retreat; and only the front
of the British cavalry dared to meet the shock ; but
to many of them it was a fatal one. The men were
dismounted, some were killed, many wounded, and

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 107

others were made prisoners, while the horses were
all thrown prostrate on the ground. Tarleton, un-
willing to meet such another onset, returned towards
the main army, but Lee, when pressing on with the
hope of cutting off his retreat, came upon the British
van-guard in the grove of lofty oaks by New Gar-
den meeting-house, who instantly gave him a broad-
side, and with considerable effect. He ordered a
retreat ; but his infantry came running up and gave
them a well directed fire, which being followed up
by Campbell's riflemen, who had taken post on the
left, the action became general, and the conflict
severe. In a few minutes, Lee perceived that the
main body of the British was approaching, and
ordered a general retreat, falling in the rear himself
with his cavalry to cover the infantry and riflemen.
During this time, the express sent by Lee, arrived
at head-quarters, and Gen. Greene prepared for
battle, but the arrangements had been so distinctly
made known, and so well understood beforehand,
" that nothing more was necessary than to give the
order for every division to take its place." "So
much care had been bestowed upon this subject that,
during the whole of this hard fought day, there was
no one instance of doubt or difficulty felt by any
officer, as to the part or duty assigned him."

Taking our stand at the court-house, the road
to New Garden runs a little south of west, and the
ground appears quite broken. On descending the
hill from the court-house, you cross a branch run-
ning north, and then you ascend a short but steep
hill. About forty steps further you cross a spring

108 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

drain, or kind of ravine running north-east and
uniting with the branch at a short distance below.
Then you ascend a long hill or slope with an old
field on each side of the road, to a wood, which, at
this point, was about a quarter of a mile wide, and
extended more than a mile north and south. Be-
yond this wood there were cultivated fields on both
sides of the road; and the fences running north and
south, on the side of the road next to the court-
house, were nearly on a line. Behind these fences
the militia of North Carolina were drawn up.
Eaton's brigade on the north side, and Butler's on
the south side of the road, while the artillery, con-
sisting of four six pounders, under the command of
Lieutenants Singleton and Finley, took its position
in the road nearly between the two brigades.

Parallel with it, and at the distance of two or
three hundred yards in the woods, was placed the
line of Virginia militia, Lawson's brigade on the
north side, and that of Stephens' on the south side
of the road. By the advice of Gen. Morgan, a
number of riflemen were stationed a few rods behind
them, with orders to shoot down every man who
attempted to run ; and this measure probably had
some good effect. Lawson's men were all raw
militia, but a number of those under Stephens had
seen service before, and the rest were mostly vol-
unteers. This made the difference in their firmness
and efficiency during the action. The firmness
with which men will face an army of veteran troops
in battle depends on circumstances. Volunteers
will do better than those who are forced into the

.me^Vrriene an ^ If r i

I*

m

l\ x \V"

■ATTLE §F ®y ILf Q)iP,

Fought on the 15* of March. 1781.

ooO€S> »-

V2

One Erujlisk J/t/e

ttresbZe%,Etifc_

ES mK'e rathe ^Vmeric an a ///I r r

/ BATTLE IF •UILP9RD»

Fought on the 15* of March. 1781.

One EiufluA Mile

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 109

service ; and men of intelligence and virtue, who
value their characters and feel that they have much
at stake, will fight better than others, but cannot
stand long before disciplined and veteran troops.

In the rear of both these lines, at the distance of
three or four hundred yards, on the high ground
north of the road and not far from the court-house,
the continentals were posted, not in a straight line,
but forming an obtuse angle, and thus presenting a
double front. The Virginia brigade of continentals
under Gen. Huger, consisted of two regiments, one
commanded by Col. Green, and the other by Lieut.
Col. Hawes, and composed the right. The Mary-
land brigade, under the command of Col. Williams,
also consisted of two regiments, one led by Col.
Gunby, the other by Lieut.-Col. Ford, and com-
posed the left. Col. Green with his regiment lay
near the court-house and was not brought into the
action, but was held as a reserve for any emergency
that might occur. Col. Washington with his cavalry,
Cap. Kirkwood with his old " Delaware Blues," and
Col. Lynch with a battalion of Virginia militia were
posted on the right for the support of that flank.
Col. Lee with his legion and a corps of riflemen
under Col. Campbell was posted on the southern
extremity for the support of the left flank.

With the American army thus drawn up in battle
array before us, imagining, if we can, the intense
anxiety which then reigned in thousands of hearts,
on the battle field and all over the country — anxiety
for the results in regard to the freedom and inde-
pendence for which they were periling life and

110 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

everything dear, anxiety for the life of husbands,
fathers, sons and brothers — let us go forward to the
North Carolina line, so advantageously posted
behind the fence, and look at the ground beyond.

From that point the road passes down a long
slope of three or four hundred yards to a small
creek, and beyond that you see a long ascent skirted
on both sides with quite a dense growth of timber,
and extending far on both sides, Down that long
descent the British advanced, in solid column, with
a firm step and with full confidence in their own
prowess. As soon as they came in sight, Captain
Singleton, of the American artillery, commenced an
ineffectual cannonade ; and Captain McLeod, who
commanded the British artillery, rushed forward,
planted his guns on the eminence and returned the
fire. For twenty minutes or more, a brisk can-
nonade was kept up on both sides, but without
much damage to either. One or two of Butler's
men, and nearly the whole of Singleton's artillery
horses were killed, while the British received little
or no injury; but under cover of the smoke raised by
their own cannon, which concealed them from the
view of the Americans, the different brigades and
corps of the British army filed off to the right and
left, with perfect regularity and in exact accordance
with previous orders, showing the effect of strict
discipline and of long experience in the service.
The famous 71st regiment of Scotch Highlanders,
commanded by Col. Frazer, took position next to
the road; the Hessian regiment of Bose, on their
right ; and the whole under the command of Major-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. Ill

General Leslie. The first battalion of guards, under
command of Lieutenant-Colonel Norton, were at
some distance in the rear, kept as a reserve, and
intended to support the right flank, as circum-
stances might require. Colonel Tarleton, with his
dragoons, who had done so much hard fighting with
Col. Lee, in the morning, was "held as a reserve,
with orders to move under cover of the woods on
the road side, waiting on the artilery," but ready to
act in support of the right flank, should it become
necessary. The 23d and 33d regiments under the
command of Col. Webster, filed off to the left or
north side of the road ; and the second battalion of
guards, with the grenadiers of the same corps, under
the command of Gen. O'Hara, were in the rear for
the support of that wing. The Yagers and light
infantry of the guards were kept with the artilery in
the woods until the line was ready to advance and
then they attached themselves to the 33d regiment.
When they began to advance through the open fields
at the distance of half a mile, they made a very
gorgeous and imposing appearance. It was about
noon and the sun was shining in its meridian
splendor. The air was a little keen, but not pierc-
ing. Their scarlet uniforms, burnished armor, and
gay banners floating in the breeze contrasted
strongly with the sombre and deathlike appearance
of nature, as they advanced with firm and measured
step to the work of human slaughter. The 23d and
33d regiments, under Col. Webster, supported on
their left by the second battalion of guards, with
the grenadiers, Yagers, and light infantry belonging

112 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

to the brigade of guards, were confronted with Gen.
Eaton's brigade, which was supported on the right
by Col. Washington with his cavalry, Kirkwood
with his Delawares and a corps of riflemen under
Col. Lynch. On the south side, the 71st regiment
of Highlanders, under Frazer, were opposed to
Butler's brigade, and the Hessians under Bose, with
the reserve, met Lee's legion and Campbell's rifle-
men.

It is not a matter of much surprise that raw
militia, just drafted for the occasion, and under
militia officers not one of whom had ever seen an
engagement, could not stand before such a military
array as was now coming against them. They soon
gave way and fled ; but not so basely as has been
commonly represented, nor until they had " made
their mark." According to British historians and
the traditions of the country, I believe that much
the larger part of the line fired once ; but it was at
such a distance and perhaps with so much trepida-
tion that it was probably not in general very effective.
Some of them acted nobly, stood firm, and did much
execution, and of this there is ample proof. Some
fourteen years ago I became acquainted with a
respectable old man who was one of Lee's cavalry
on that day, and he told me that as the Hessians
were approaching the fence they received a very
destructive fire, which they returned, and then
rushed up, intending to cross the fence, and drive
them at the point of the bayonet; but the Ameri-
cans clubbed their guns and beat them back. They
retreated then about forty yards, when they reloaded

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 113

and fired again, intending, as before, to rush up,
force their way over the fence, and get where they
could use the bayonet to advantage, but by this
time the riflemen were ready for them, and gave
them another galling fire, which made them recoil,
and threw them into some confusion. On seeing
this Gen. Leslie ordered up some assistance, when
they were obliged to give way a little ; but the
contest was continued there to the close. "We shall
have more to say about this matter in another place ;
and therefore leaving them for the present thus
engaged, we return to the road where the High-
landers were engaged.

The Colonel who ought to have commanded one
of the regiments in Butler's brigade, was, that
morning, appointed to some other service, and the
command of the regiment given to Arthur Forbis,
a militia captain, who, with about half his company,
had volunteered a few days before, for the occasion,
and who, though he had never seen a battle, was as
brave a man as walked the ground on that day. He
and his company, with a number of other riflemen,
volunteers from Guilford and other counties, who,
being of kindred spirit and previously acquainted,
associated with him, gave one deliberate fire, which
is known to have been a very destructive one, and
many of them gave two fires, nor would he yield
till the enemy were within a few steps. Some of
his men were killed, others were wounded and his
own life was made a sacrifice to the cause of free-
dom.

Of Eaton's brigade, very little is said in history ;

114 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

but, only one of the brigade being reported as killed
and two or three wounded, the presumption is that
they were not much exposed to danger. Probably
many of them gave one fire, and then disappeared.
When the front line gave way, the British rushed
forward with a loud shout of triumph to encounter
the Yirginians, and expected similar success, but
there they met with a warmer reception, for they
received such a galling fire from the flanking parties
under Lee and Washington that they were obliged
to halt and make other arrangements. The 33d regi-
ment of Webster's brigade was wheeled half round to
the left, in order to face the American reserve under
Washington, and the Hessian regiment of Bose was
wheeled round to the right in the same way, to face
Lee and Campbell, which caused such a separation
between the two wings that both their covering
parties, consisting of the two battalions of guards, the
Yagers and light infantry of the guards had to be
brought forward to fill up the vacancy. Thus the
whole British army was brought into line and ap-
pear to have all been engaged at the same time.
The brigade of Stephens being mostly volunteers,
and many of their officers and men having been
in battle before, maintained their ground with
considerable firmness and, for some time, the con-
flict was fierce and bloody. Lawson's brigade being
raw militia, and mostly drafted for the occasion,
first yielded, wheeling round behind Stephens'
brigade, and then retreated with precipitancy and
confusion. The brigade of Stephens quickly follow-
ing, they both retreated with all the speed they

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 115

could, and by making a circuit through the fields
and woods entered the village on the south side,
where they became spectators of the remaining acts
in the scene. Col. Webster having followed the
Virginia militia to the Salisbury road and driven
them from the field, was now at liberty to turn his
attention to any part of the continental line he
chose and, unfortunately for himself, he advanced
upon the first regiment of Marylanders, which hap-
pened to be the most convenient. This was the
regiment which, under Col. Howard, had so much
distinguished itself at the battle of the Cowpens and
was now commanded by Col. Gunby, an officer,
who was in every respect worthy to have the com-
mand of such a corps. With perfect composure
they waited till the enemy approached within con-
venient distance, when they poured upon them such
a destructive fire that it produced a general recoil
and made it necessary for Col. Webster to retreat
over the ravine, then boldly and promptly descend-
ing into the plain, they followed up the advantage
which they had gained with so much skill and
energy that they produced a complete route.

Had either of the cavalry corps been convenient
at the moment the battle might have been decided,
for the 33d regiment and the two light companies
which attended it must have surrendered ; and as
they numbered not less than four hundred in all,
Cornwallis would have been obliged to order a re-
treat. This was the critical moment and the turning
point. The British historians, Tarleton and Sted-
man, charge Gen. Greene with an oversight in not

116 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

improving this advantage which, they admit, would
have been decisive of the contest, and Johnson says
that, " this was the most trying moment of Gen.
Greene's military life." He could have ordered up
another corps to improve the advantage gained, and
such a movement if executed with courage and
promptness must have decided the fate of the day,
and saved a great deal of bloodshed ; but there was
too much risk to be run. It would have taken him
from the advantageous position which he occupied
and probably engaged him with the mass of the
British army in the plain. The whole line were
new recruits except about five hundred, Gunby's
regiment and Kirkwood's Delawares ; under these
circumstances, he recalled Gunby with his regi-
ment to their former position ; and, in doing so, he
showed his wisdom, as was soon proved by the
conduct of the 2d Maryland regiment. Instead of
blaming, we admire the patriotism and good sense
of the man who, for the good of his country, could
resist such a temptation, and such a prospect of
gaining a victory with lasting honor to himself.

In this encounter with Gunby's regiment, Col.
"Webster was severely wounded, but he drew off
his men over the ravine to the edge of the woods,
where he awaited the advance of other regiments.
During this time, Captain McLeod had brought up
the royal artillery, and had taken a fine position on
the high ground at the edge of the woods. The
second battalion of guards, under the command of
Lieut-Col. Stuart, in a few minutes swept across the
open ground, and attacked the 2d regiment of

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 117

Marylanders under Col. Ford, who, being new
recruits, soon gave way and disappointed the hopes
of the whole army, but especially of their heroic
commander, Col. Williams. By order of General
Leslie, the 71st and 23d regiments were now brought
forward, leaving the regiment of Bose, as the Vir-
ginians were all gone, to maintain the contest with
Campbell's riflemen ; and Gen. O'Hara, with the
2d battalion and grenadiers of the guards, was
advancing at the same time and towards the same
point. On perceiving that the forces of the enemy
were converging to the American left, Col. Washing-
ton, followed by his cavalry, galloped off towards
that point and passed ahead of the 23d and 71st
regiments. When the 2d Maryland regiment gave
way, the guards under Col. Stuart, passed on with
a shout of triumph and took the American six
pounders, but Washington with his cavalry, made
such a furious attack upon them from the rear, that
he broke through the line, producing as he went,
great slaughter on every side, and re-took the six
pounders. In this he was nobly seconded by the
1st regiment of Marylanders, which was now com-
manded by Lieut.-Col. Howard, Col. Gunby having
been unhorsed in the severe conflict with the 33d
regiment under Col. Webster, but owing to the
direction in which the enemy approached, a small
thicket of bushes had hitherto concealed it from
their notice. With heroic courage and great prompt-
ness, it now rushed upon them from the left, when
one of the most fierce and bloody conflicts ensued
that was anywhere known during the war. It was
9

118 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

hand to hand, and the slaughter was terrible. About
fourteen years ago, Nathaniel Slacle, an old and
respectable citizen of Caswell, who was one of
Butler's men on that day, and who, after the retreat,
had stopped with many others, at the court-house,
to witness the meeting of the British with the con-
tinentals in the Old Field, told me that this conflict
between the brigade of guards and the first regiment
of Marylanders, was most terrific ; for they fired at
the same instant, and they had approached so near
that the blazes from the muzzles of their guns
seemed to meet. These two corps were the boasts
of their respective armies, and on many a bloody
field, both officers and men had acquired a reputa-
tion for bravery, which they were determined to
maintain. Probably pride and a spirit of revenge
had as much to do in producing this bloody strife,
as feelings of patriotism or a simple desire of vic-
tory; and for illustration, we quote a fact from
Johnson. " Colonel Stuart, of the guards, and
Captain Smith, of the Marylanders, were both men
conspicuous for nerve and sinew. They had also
met before on some occasion, and had vowed that
their next meeting should end in blood. Kegard-
less of ihe bayonets that were clashing around them,
they rushed at each other with a fury that admitted
of but one result. The quick pass of Stuart's small
sword was skilfully put by with the left hand,
whilst the heavy sabre of his antagonist cleft the
Briton to the spine. In one moment the American
was prostrate on the lifeless body of his enemy, but
only stunned, and in the next, he was pressed

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 119

beneath the weight of the soldier who had brought
him to the ground. A ball discharged at Smith's
head as his sword descended on that of Stuart, had
grazed it and brought him to the ground, at the
instant that the bayonet of a favorite soldier, who
always sought the side of his captain in the hour of
danger, pierced the heart of one who appears to
have been equally watchful over the safety of the
British colonel.

For some time victory had been perching alter-
nately on the banners of the two armies, first on one
side and then on the other ; but now she seemed to
be hovering midway between them, and while it
was manifest that a few minutes more would end
the conflict, it was altogether doubtful in whose
favor it would be decided. This corps, the 2d bat-
talion of guards, including the grenadiers, numbered
three hundred and fifty ; and, being the flower of the
British army, if it could be vanquished, a shout of
triumph would immediately ascend from the Ame-
rican ranks. Of course, every eye was directed to
that spot, and both the commanders, anxious for
the result, and regardless of everything else, were
equally drawn towards it, and with a full conviction
of its bearing upon the final issue.

Col. Washington, seeing Lord Cornwallis com-
pletely within his reach, waved his sword to some
of his officers to follow him and moved off to seize
the prize ; but the string of his cap broke and it
fell from his head. While dismounting to recover
it, his lordship, without being at all aware of his
danger, or thinking of his personal safety, went

120 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

away to put in execution one of those dreadful
expedients which commanders sometimes adopt, in
extreme cases, rather than lose a victory. As the
guards were beginning to yield and it was becoming
manifest that their discomfiture was inevitable with-
out some desperate measure, he went to the high
ground near the woods, where the artillery was
posted ; and, to arrest the progress of the Ameri-
cans, directed M'Leod to pour vollies of grape shot
through the ranks of his own men. OTIara, then
bleeding copiously from his wounds, remonstrated,
but in vain. The expedient succeeded ; but, by
this measure, coming on the back of what had been
done by the swords and muskets, this battalion was
half destroyed. During this time, the 71st and 2 3d
had come into the field and Cornwallis was again
forming his line. The guards were all up, and the
33d, which had been drawn off by Col. Webster, was
returning from its covert in the woods to resume its
place on the left.

When the first battalion of guards, which had
been ordered up, was approaching the road in which
Gen. Greene was anxiously observing the move-
ments, he was concealed from their view by a row
of bushes which lined the margin of the road ; but
Major Morris, one of his aids, perceived the clanger
and gave him notice, when, with that presence of
mind which is ever characteristic of a hero and an
experienced soldier, he managed so as not to attract
their attention, by moving off at a walk and thus
escaped a volley of musketry which would probably
have terminated his military career.

THE BRITISH ARMY IX NORTH CAROLINA. 121

The issue was now at hand and was beginning to
be anticipated on both sides. Some cannonading
was still kept up and there was an occasional volley
of musketry in different parts of the field ; but the
result of the whole evidently depended on the
American left. The British army was all again in
line, except the regiment of Bose which was still
warmly engaged with Lee and Campbell, far away
to the south and near a mile from the scene of con-
flict with the Continentals. The militia were all
gone; the 2d Maryland regiment was gone, and
there was remaining only Kirkwood with his Dela-
wares and Lynch with the infantry of Washington's
covering party to aid the 1st regiment of Maryland-
ers, who had already done and suffered so much.
When the 1st battalion of guards, under Norton,
which had formed the covering party on the British
right, was recalled and brought into the old field,
Col. Lee sent off his cavalry towards the American
left and soon after sent his legion to the same place.
Bose was then left to contend with Campbell's rifle-
men aided by a few volunteers from Stephens'
brigade and from Guilford county. From the first,
or after the two or three first fires, the conflict with
the Hessians was kept up by alternately advancing
and retreating.

On my first visit to the battle-ground, I was ac-
companied by Robert Eankin, of the Buffalo con-
gregation, who went from home that morning as a
volunteer, and fell in with Campbell's riflemen.
After showing a tree from behind which he fired
two or three times, and reciting several incidents,

122 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

he told me that when they were ready to fire, the
Hessians retreated, and they pursued, until they
delivered their fire, when they had to retreat in
turn. The Hessians then fired, raised the shout, and
charged with the bayonet, driving the Americans
before them until they could reload. This alternate
advancing and retreating continued, the Americans
driven a little further every time by the use of the
bayonet, until they were at least a mile from the
Court House, and nearly due south. After Lee
sent off his cavalry, and his legion, the volunteers,
mostly dropped off about the same time, and Camp-
bell's riflemen kept up a firing, which had no
great effect, but served to keep the enemy em-
ployed. Cornwallis finding that the Hessians were
still engaged in the woods to the south, sent Tarleton
with his dragoons to extricate them, and bring them
up, which he did, and with some loss to the rifle-
men, as they were then wholly unsupported. When
the regiment of Bose appeared in the open ground,
advancing to their place in the lines, accompanied
by Tarleton's dragoons, General Greene ordered a
retreat. He was about to be overpowered by num-
bers, and he had previously resolved not to risk
the destruction of his army. Webster was advan-
cing through the field with the 33d regiment, in
good order, and aiming to turn the American right.
As there was nothing more to be gained by con-
tinuing the conflict, he ordered Col. Greene with
his regiment of Virginia Continentals, which,
having been posted on the extreme right, had not
been engaged, to advance and cover the retreat.

THE BEITISH AKMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 123

"The 23d and 71st regiments, with part of the
cavalry," Stedman says, "were at first sent in pur-
suit, but afterwards received orders to return. It
is probable that, as the British Commander became
more acquainted with all the circumstances of the
action, and the number of the killed and wounded,
he found it necessary to countermand his orders,
and desist from the pursuit."

After going about three miles, General Greene
halted for an hour or two to refresh his troops, and
then proceeded to his camp beyond the Iron Works,
where they arrived before day, all in good spirits,
and ready to meet the enemy again. In his dis-
patch, written a day or two after the battle, he says
that the distance was " ten miles ;" but we who
live in this region, and so often travel the road,
know that it is not less than fifteen miles. All the
officers on both sides, who afterwards became his-
torians, Lee Tarleton and Stedman, speak of this as
one of the hardest fought battles in which they
had been engaged. Tarleton says it was " one of
the most hazardous, as well as severe battles that
occurred during the war." The British authorities
magnify the number under Gen. Greene, beyond all
bounds; but they seem to have depended on
rumor. As Stedman, when he had correct informa-
tion, was a candid and reliable author, we shall
here give, for the satisfaction of the reader, his
account in full.

In this battle the British troops obtained a victory
most honorable and glorious to themselves, but in
its consequences of no real advantage to the cause

124 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

in which they were engaged. They attacked and
defeated an army of more than three times their
own number, not taken by surprise, but formed in
regular order of battle, and ready to engage, an army
too, that is allowed on all hands to have been strongly
and judiciously posted, on ground chosen with care,
and most excellently adapted to the nature of the
troops that occupied it. The resistance of the enemy
was in proportion to the advantages they possessed ;
nor did they yield but with extreme reluctance.
Even the militia, encouraged by their position,
fought with bravery, and greatly weakened the
British line before it reached the continentals. The
Virginia militia, who composed the second Ameri-
can line, did not quit their ground, it is said, until
their commander, seeing them no longer able to
withstand the attack of regular troops, and ready to
be overpowered, gave orders for a retreat. A vic-
tory achieved under such disadvantages of numbers
and ground, was of the most honorable kind, and
placed the bravery and discipline of the troops be-
yond all praise ; but the expense at which it was
obtained rendered it of no utility. Before the pro-
vincials finally retreated, more than one-third of all
the British troops engaged had fallen. The whole
loss, according to the official returns, amounted to
rive hundred and thirty -two.

The destruction of life was great on both sides ;
but owing to the use of the rifle and the protected
situation of the militia, it was greater on the part of
the enemy. They admitted, as we have seen, a loss
in killed and wounded, of five hundred and thirty-

THE BRITISH AEMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 125

two; but General Greene thought he had good
authority for saying that they lost six hundred and
thirty-three. The loss of the Americans, in killed
and wounded could never be ascertained with entire
certainty, but it was between two and three hundred.
In proportion to their numbers, the two battalions
of guards did the most hard fighting, and were the
greatest sufferers. The first battalion, which, it will
be recollected, was the covering party to the British
right, and at the outset, were opposed to the Ameri-
can covering party under Lee and Campbell, " had
suffered greatly." Stedman says, " in ascending a
woody height to attack the second line of the Ameri-
cans, strongly posted upon the top of it, who, avail-
ing themselves of the advantages of their situation,
retired, as soon as they had discharged their pieces,
behind the brow of the hill, which protected them
from the shot of the guards, and returned, as- soon
as they had loaded, and were again in readiness to
fire." Notwithstanding the disadvantages under
which the attack was made, the guards reached the
summit of the eminence, and put the American line
to flight ; but no sooner was it done than another
line of the Americans presented itself to view,
extending far beyond the right of the guards, and
inclining towards their flank, so as almost to encom-
pass them. The ranks of the guards had been
thinned in ascending the height, and a number of
their officers had fallen."

When this battalion was brought into action with
the Continentals, " the fire being repeated and con-
tinued, and from the great extent of their line,

126 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

being poured in, not only on the front but on the
flanks of the battalion, completed its confusion and
disorder," as above related, " and notwithstanding
every exertion made by the remaining officers, it
was at last entirely broke." Johnson says that
Tarleton was sent off to extricate the Hessian regi-
ment, and bring it up ; Tarleton and Steclman say,
that the regiment of Bose came up just when the
1st battalion was in its broken state, and, at the
request of Col. Norton, aided in forming it again
into line, but the difference could not be more than
a very few minutes.

The British loss in officers was very heavy. One
colonel and four commissioned officers were killed
on the field. Col. Webster and Captains Maynard,
Schultz, Goodriche, and a number of others, died of
their wounds soon after. Gen. O'Hara received two
wounds, and was so severely injured that it was for
some time, doubtful whether he would recover ; and
Gen. Howard, who had volunteered on the occasion,
was also wounded, but not dangerously. Tarleton
got a slight wound from the riflemen in the w r oods,
near the close of the engagement, and twenty other
commissioned officers were in the number of the
wounded. The disparity in the loss of officers, is
ascribed chiefly, though not exclusively, to the fact
that the Americans sheltered themselves behind
trees, and a large number of them used the rifle,
which enabled them to take aim, and to shoot with
a good deal of precision at a greater distance.

In regard to the whole number of British en-
gaged, Stedman says, in a foot note, (p. 844,) that,

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 127

" according to a return made by the adjutant of the
day," the British troops engaged in the action,
amounted to one thousand four hundred and forty-
five; but he acknowledged a loss of five hundred
and thirty-two, which would leave only nine hundred
and thirteen, yet when at Wilmington, he says
(p. 354,) they had one thousand four hundred and
thirty-five, and a considerable number were known
to have died in the meantime. In fact, they were
dying all along the road, and sometimes, two, three
and four in a night. From Stedman's own showing,
then, it would seem that they must have had two
thousand, and might have had twenty-five hundred.
Besides, they had a number of loyalists, some of
whom had been much in the British service. I have
always understood that Colonels McDougal and Bay
were there, probably with a number of followers ;
but such men as Kay and McDougal, so brave and
loyal, would not be there and take no part. Colonels
Field and Bryant, one or both, were probably there
with a number of men ; but only the regular army
is reported ; and, for prudential reasons, there was
no public notice of the loyalists.

With respect to the courage and energy displaj^ed
on both sides, we have already given the testimony
of Tarleton and Stedman. The American officers
speak of it in terms equally strong, and, according to
a tradition which I consider perfectly reliable, Corn-
wallis said, at Bell's Mill, two days after, that " he
had never seen such fighting since God made him,
and that another such victory would be his ruin."

The commanders, about equal in ability and well

128 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

aware of their responsibility, showed an utter disre-
gard of their own safety, and an intense anxiety for
the result. Rushing into the midst of danger, they
were every where, each one most eagerly watching
the movements made by the other and ready to make
a counter one. They both ran great risk of being
captured, and it is a mystery how they escaped un-
hurt by the flying balls. Cornwallis had two horses
killed under him, one of which, an iron-grey, of
noble appearance and fine muscular power, was shot
down, as I was informed, at the north end of the
fence along the road now generally travelled from
Greensborough to Bruce's cross-roads, but on the
west side of the road. This will show his lordship's
whereabouts at one period of the conflict, and may
contribute a little to gratify the curiosity of the grow-
ing numbers who visit the ground. It has been said,
though I cannot vouch for its truth, that, near the
close of the battle, a man from the south side of
Guilford, had Cornwallis fairly within the range of
his rifle, and snapped at him twice ; but, before he
could get his gun to make fire, the fortunate Earl had
passed beyond his reach. Gen. Greene was equally
exposed and equally fortunate. In a letter written
to his wife the day after the battle, he says : — " The
action was long, bloody and severe, many fell, but
none of your particular friends. Col. Williams, who
is Adjutant-General, was very active and greatly
exposed. I had not the honor of being wounded,
but was very near being taken, having rode in the
heat of the action full tilt, directly into the midst of
the enemy ; but by Col. Morris' calling to me, and

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 129

advertising me of my situation, I had just time to
retire." His aids looked with amazement at his in-
trepidity ; and he must have been under the shield
of Divine protection.

Some reflections have been cast on Gen. Greene
for his arrangement of the militia, and especially
for placing the raw undisciplined militia of North
Carolina in front to receive the first onset of
veteran troops — British troops, such as were
accustomed to conquer in every part of the globe,
and had never sustained a defeat. It seems to be
admitted that Cornwallis, on that clay, commanded
the best troops in the world, nearly every corps
having been long renowned for their unyielding
firmness and cool intrepidity. The 71st, or
Frazer's Highlanders, and the Welsh Fusileers,
had greatly distinguished themselves twelve or
fifteen years before in the French war, both at
Louisburg and in Canada. They were the first
to scale the Heights of Abraham, under the eye
of the intrepid Wolfe, and made the charge which
defeated the French, and gained for the English a
victory of immense importance. At the battle of
Trenton, the 71st did so much execution as to
attract the notice of Washington; and "on one
occasion when Lieut.-Col. Maitland of the 71st, was
in company with General Washington, he remarked
jocosely, that to enable him to distinguish and
do justice to the valor of this corps, the men
should, in future, wear a red feather in their bon-
nets, and they did so to the end of the war." In
the battle of Cambden these Highlanders and the

130 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

Welsh. Fusileers made that desperate charge which
broke the centre of General Gate's army, and re-
sulted in his defeat. They had signalized them-
selves at Savannah, and had pursued Gen. Greene
for some two hundred miles across the State for the
purpose of bringing him to a pitched battle.

" In this regiment alone — the 71st — five of the
officers lived to attain the rank of Lieut-General,
one that of General, two that of Colonel, three that
of Lieut-Colonel, and some that of Major." The
brigade, or two battalions of guards, were hardly
less famous, and certainly had no less ambition to
maintain their well earned character for firmness
and intrepidity. In short every corps in the army
had a world-wide reputation for valor and disci-
pline ; and such was the army which was seen at
the distance of half a mile or more advancing, in
brilliant uniform, with burnished armor, and with
firm deliberate step to encounter the front line.

Did Gen. Greene treat the North Carolina militia
with any injustice or unfairness when he placed
them where they must meet the first onset of this
formidable host ? or might it be regarded as a
compliment ? We have neither military talents
nor knowledge of military science enough to decide,
and must leave it to others ; but what would have
been the probable result if the arrangement had
been reversed, or if the continentals had been
placed in front and the militia in the rear ? Is it
probable that the fourteen hundred and ninety
regulars, only five or six hundred of whom had
ever bsen in service before, would have been able

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 131

to resist the entire British army, while it was
undiminished and unwearied ? And if not, when
they gave way would the militia have stood their
ground any better ? It is doubtful ; and while
Gen. Green's main dependence was in the Conti-
nentals, he wished to have the enemy as much
wearied and crippled as possible before he encoun-
tered them with the most reliable part of his force
The North Carolina militia might think them-
selves honored in having the post of danger assigned
them ; and there were other reasons for putting them
in that position. It was supposed that as they were
on their own territory, defending their property,
their wives and children, their homes and their
altars, if they would fight any where or at any time
they would do it there and then. Their position
was in some respects favorable ; for they were
behind a rail fence, which, though rotten, was some
advantage. The British historians, Tarleton and
Stedman, both of whom were military men and
present on the occasion, compliment Gen. Greene,
not only for his selection of the ground, but for the
arrangement of his forces. In fact they found
fault with nothing he did, except one thing, which
they termed an oversight in the heat of the engage-
ment with the regulars, and which we have already
noticed ; nor do I recollect that the least censure
has ever been passed upon him by any historian or
military man of note in this country. From these
concessions, the reader will perceive that I have no
disposition to palliate the faults of my countrymen
or to cover up a reproach which I cannot wipe

152 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

away. Do them, justice and we are satisfied; but,
fortunately, in this case, there is no need either to
ask any favor or to cast any reflection on Gen.
Greene in order to find an apology for their conduct
on that occasion If the reader will now forget
what he has read, or the impression made on his
mind by what he has read in Johnson's Life of
Greene and in other writers who copied from him, we
will take the position and take it confidently, that
the North Carolina militia did as much, in propor-
tion to their numbers and making a fair allowance
for all the circumstances, as any other militia on
the ground. I verily believe they did more, but
let that pass for the present. To maintain the posi-
tion which we have taken, we appeal to well known
or well authenticated facts and to official documents,
and we ask the reader's patient and candid attention.
"When at the house of Mr. Eife, in Virginia, who,
the reader will recollect ,was one of Lee's cavalry on
that day and a man of respectable standing in soci-
ety. I remarked that, according to history, the
North Carolina militia did nothing on that occasion,
and he replied, with some sternness, " Whoever says
the North Carolina militia did nothing on that day,
says what is false ; for I know better." When he
told me about the North Carolinians, at one point,
clubbing their guns and beating back the Hessians
from the fence, I suggested that they must have
been Campbell's Riflemen ; but he promptly said,
" No, they were not !" for he knew the North Caro-
lina militia well enough, and he sat on his horse
where he had them full in view, or, to use his own

THE BRITISH ARMY EST NORTH CAROLINA. 133

words, where lie saw them with his own eyes. Ac-
cording to the British accounts, the front line did
not generally give way until the bayonets were
presented, and they were not expected to stand the
bayonet. Stedman says : "At the distance of one
hundred and forty yards they received the enemy's
first fire, but continued to advance unmoved.
When arrived at a nearer and more convenient
distance they delivered their own fire and rapidly
charged with the bayonets."

Tarleton, who seldom gives anybody, except the
British, much credit for bravery, says, "the order
and coolness of that part of Webster's brigade which
advanced across the open ground, exposed to the
enemy's fire cannot be sufficiently extolled. The
extremities were not less galled, but were more pro-
tected by the woods in which they moved. The
militia allowed the front line to approach within
one hundred and fifty yards before they gave their
fire, the front line continued to move on, the Ameri-
cans sent back their cannon, and part of them re-
peated their fire. The king's troops threw in their
fire and charged rapidly with their bayonets, the
shock was not waited for by the militia, who re-
treated behind their second line." There is no inti-
mation here that " many of them" threw away their
arms, without discharging them, and run for life,
but that the line, generally at least, gave one fire and
many of them fired a second time, which was ac-
cording to orders. That their first fire, especially
by the riflemen, was a deliberate and effective one,
has been admitted by British officers and historians,
10

134 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

Capt. Dugald Stuart, who commanded a company
in the 71st regiment, on that day, when writing to
a relative in this country, under date of October
25th, 1825, uses the following language: "In the
advance we received a very deadly fire, from the
Irish line of the American army, composed of their
marksmen lying on the ground behind a rail fence.
One half of the Highlanders dropped on that
spot, there ought to be a pretty large tumulus
where our men were buried." Brown in his history
of the Highland Clans, when speaking of the 71st
regiment at Guilford, says.* "The Americans covered
by the fence in their front reserved their fire till the
British were within thirty or forty paces, at ivhich dis-
tance they opened a most destructive fire, which annihi-
lated nearly one third of Webster's brigade* William
Montgomery, of this county, who was one of Capt.
Forbis' little company, and one of the four who
stood by him to the last, when describing the scene,
in after life, usually illustrated it by saying that,
after they delivered their first fire, which was a
deliberate one, with their rifles, the part of the
British line, at which they aimed, looked like the
scattering stalks in a wheatfield when the harvest-
man has passed over it with his cradle. There is a

* This quotation, with a few facts on a former page, is taken
from an article in the Fayettville Observer, under date of
November 29th, 1855. The article was written by a gentleman
of the Bar in Fayettville, who, I believe, is a native Scotch-
man, and thoroughly acquainted with the Scottish history, but
has been for years a naturalized American, and has now a Caro=
lina feeling, as strong and patriotic as any native of the state.

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 135

tradition which says that there were two men, from
the south side of Guilford or the upper side of Kan-
dolph, who got permission two or three days before
the battle, to visit their families on condition that
they would rejoin the army at Martinville on the
morning of the 15th, but for some reason they did
not arrive until near the close. They passed over the
ground where the British were when fired on by the
front line, and they said, it appeared to them, that,
at one place, they could have walked fifty yards
on dead and wounded men, without ever touching
the ground.

In the Greensboro' Patriot, June 21st, 1842, is a
communication, the statements in which the writer
says may be relied on, as they are from an eye
witness of very respectable character, and from
which we give the following extract.

" They next," after the encounter with Lee about
New Garden Meeting House, " came in collision
with the line of North Carolina militia, the left of
which fought bravely and withstood them for a
time, until a detachment of the enemy's cavalry
debouched on their flank, cutting them to pieces
and rendered the contest extremely bloody. Capt.
Forbis of Guilford, fought most bravely, and was
the principal sufferer — he was killed and nearly all
his brave company, fighting infantry and horse far
superior in numbers and discipline, though not in
bravery."

When collecting materials for the life of Caldwell,
fifteen years ago, I conversed with several old men,
one of whom I recollect was a Quaker, who told me

136 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

that tliey were on the ground next day — being then
about twenty or twentj^-one years of age — and saw
the British burying their dead. They said that they
buried a great many in the field where Mr. Hoskins
now lives and not far from his house, perhaps a
little to the west, where they dug two large pits and
laid in the men one on the top of another. These
traditional accounts correspond extremely well with
the statements made by British officers and histo-
rians, and we might now leave it to the judgment of
the candid reader ; but, as we have stated all the
circumstances, so far as we knew them, which were
favorable, we should not do them justice if we were
to pass over those which were unfavorable.

The two brigades of Virginia militia amounted to
one thousand six hundred and ninety -three, six
hundred and thirty-three more than the North Caro-
lina militia, and numbers usually give confidence.
Lawson's brigade, according to history, were, most
of them, raw militia, and had been drafted not long
before. The brigade of Stephens were all volun-
teers and most of them were men of character.
Many of the men and some of the officers had been
in battle before. Stephens had served in the north
as brigadier-general, under "Washington, where he
had been imseveral battles and was a veteran officer.
A number of men, too, were selected and placed at
some distance in the rear, with orders to shoot down
every one who attempted to run. They did well,
and we give them full credit for their bravery.

The In orth Carolina brigades amounted only to
one thousand and sixty, all of whom were raw

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 137

militia, and, except a little "handful of volunteers,
had been shortly before drafted for the occasion.
Not an officer nor a man among them, so far as I
have learned, had ever seen a battle or been brought
under any discipline. Though the fact does not
appear in history, it is well known that, in the
morning when the preparatory arrangements were
making, the colonel commanding one of the regi-
ments in Butler's brigade was appointed to some
other service and the command of his regiment
was given to Arthur Forbis, a militia captain.
He and his little company all belonged to the Ala-
mance congregation, in which he was a ruling elder
of the church, and was highly esteemed as a man
and a christian. Some years ago, his daughter, who
well recollected the time and had often heard her
mother and neighbors talking about it for long years
after, told me that, two or three days before the
battle, her father called his company together and
after making known his intentions, gave them their
their choice either to stay or go with him. About
half made excuses. The other half, about twenty-
five, volunteered to go. Be was as brave a man as
walked the ground ; but he had not been tried. No
one in the regiment, except his own company knew
whether he had more firmness or a better judgment
than any other militia captain ; and it was not to be
expected that the whole regiment would have the
same confidence in him that they would have had
in the proper officer, or that they would pay the
same deference to his authority ; for we all know
that when the regular officer is killed or removed

138 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

in battle, it has a discouraging influence even upon
veteran soldiers.

Ramsay, in his History of the Revolution, says,
"It," meaning the North Carolina line, "gave way
while the adversaries were at the distance of one
hundred and forty yards, and he lays the blame of
it on the misconduct of a Colonel, who, on the
advance of the enemy, called out to an officer at
some distance, 'that he would be surrounded,'
which, according to him, caused a panic among the
men, and they all fled. There was, perhaps, some
truth in this statement, for the British were making
every exertion to surround or out-flank them. The
announcement of the fact which might have been
the cause of their retreat, was calculated to excite a
panic, and the imprudence of the Colonel, which
was owing to his inexperience, consisted in his
manner of making it known ; but that the line as a
whole, or generally, gave way when the enemy
were at the distance of hundred and forty yards, is
at variance with the British authorities, as we have
shown, and with all the testimony I have had from
men who were in Butler's brigade on that day. It
is certain that the company of Captain Forbis, with
many others, fired twice, and that he and some of
his men did not give way until the British were
within a few steps. He and two of his neighbors
were then wounded, Thomas Wiley and William
Paisley, father of the Rev. Samuel Paisley, who is
yet living. Nathaniel Slade of Caswell, told me
that he fired once, and commenced loading to fire
again, when he broke his ramrod. He then bor-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 139

rowed one from the man on his right hand, and was
ramming down his bullet, but had not got ready to
fire, when the men all broke and fled. On looking
forward, the British were within a few rods. Had
it not been for the accident of breaking his ramrod,
which was a loss of some minutes, he would have
fired twice ; and he said many of the men on both
sides of him did give two fires ; but we call atten-
tion to the fact that, according to his testimony, the
line did not generally give way until the enemy
were within a few rods. Captain Forbis said before
he died, that if all the men under his command,
meaning the regiment, I suppose, had shown as
much firmness as William Montgomery, John Law,
John Allison, and William Paisley, he would have
kept that part of the British line back in spite of
everything.

But the relative proportion of the killed and
wounded ought not to be overlooked, and as the
basis of a comparative estimate, we take the official
return of the adjutant-general, Colonel Williams.
The return, as a whole, was very imperfect ; for it
was impossible to ascertain in that length of time,
the second day after the battle, when the return was
made, the precise number of killed and wounded,
especially in the ranks of the militia. Besides, he
made out his statement from the reports of the
general and field officers, who returned to the Iron
Works; but all the field officers had not then re-
turned to that place. Moreover, there was one
regiment, a whole regiment of North Carolina
militia, of which these officers had made no report,

140 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

and it would be strange, if not one man in it was
killed or wounded.

The return, as a whole, was, therefore, imperfect,
and, owing to their peculiar circumstances, was es-
pecially deficient in regard to the Worth Carolina
militia, but we shall have more to say about that be-
fore we are done, and for the present take the return
of Williams as the basis of comparison. Of the
whole Virginia militia, one thousand six hundred
and ninety-three, only twelve were reported as
killed ; and if you divide one thousand six hundred
and ninety -three by twelve, it will give you one in
one hundred and forty-one and a half. Of the whole
North Carolina militia, one thousand and sixt}^ six
were reported as killed ; and if you divide one thou-
sand and sixty by six, it will give one in one hun-
dred and seventy-six and two-thirds. This is not
such a great disparity, yet it is unfavorable, and
we must look for other facts ; but there was one
whole regiment of North Carolina militia, of which
the Field officers had then made no report! and what
of that ? Did they never make a report ? or, if they
did not, does it follow that there was nothing good
to report of them? Had they disappeared like
ghosts at the dawn of day ? Or were they like the
man's flea, when they went to look for them, they
"warn't there?" Johnson and those who have
copied after him seem to have taken this for granted ;
but was that the fact? It does not follow; and Wil-
liams gives no such intimation. Pie merely says
that the field officers had then made no report of
it ; and if that was the regiment which was left to the

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 141

command of Captain Forbis, of which there can be
very little doubt, the mystery is explained and the
question settled. I do not assert that the regiment
of which no report had then been received was the
one commanded by Forbis, but state facts and leave
the reader to draw his own conclusions. Certainly
the most natural inference is, that it was not reported
because it had no field officer to make a report, and
that was probably the case with no other regiment
on the ground.

That the command of the regiment in question
was, on that morning, given to Captain Forbis, by
Gen. Green's order or sanction is well known, and
does not admit of a doubt ; but there were more of
our militia killed and wounded than the field officers
reported or could have known at the time. We will
take a few cases which have accidentally come to
my knowledge, and let the reader judge.

There was a man killed by the name of Pinkerton,
who, I think, was a volunteer, and from what was
then Orange county. He was under Forbis' imme-
diate command, and was killed by the last cannon-
ball, supposed to be a six pounder, thrown from the
British artillery while occupying its first position
on the high ground to the west. Butler's brigade
commenced at the road in which the American ar-
tillery was planted, and extended south, along the
fence, and beyond it as far as necessary. Pinkerton
was in a corner of the fence, only a few steps from
the road, with his gun pointing through a crack, and
waiting until the British, who were then a little
below Hoskins' house, would come within rifle shot.

142 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

The ball struck him in the head, and as he was pro-
bably resting on one knee to keep himself more
steady, which made his posture coincide with the
parabolic curve of the descending ball, it tore out
the spine the whole length of the body, leaving the
mere fragments of what, only a moment before had
been a man, and one who, in common phrase, " had
a soul." The fragments lay there among the leaves
and bushes for two days, and his death was probably
not known to any field officer on the ground.

On the afternoon of the second day after the
British had all left, a great many came in from the
surrounding country ; some to gratify their curiosity
in looking over the ground, and others in search
of friends, whose fate was yet unknown. Two
women who were going about looking for friends,
first discovered the mangled body of Pinkerton,
and called the attention of the men, who came and
buried his remains. That he was overlooked for
two days is not strange, when Capt. Forbis, who
was only wounded, was overlooked for the same
length of time.

Mr. Slacle told me that when he was retreating
through the woods, he passed a man who was so
desperately wounded that he thought he could not
possibly live to the close of the battle. At the same
instant a certain Major came along on horseback,
and the wounded man begged that he would just
let him ride his horse till he got beyond the reach
of the guns ; but the Major, who was making very
good use of his locomotive powers, never turned
his head in that direction. I have asked two or

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 143

three physicians with whom I happened to get in
conversation on this subject, about the case, and
they said that the wound was not necessarily
mortal, but that, as some considerable arteries were
cut, he must very soon bleed to death without
surgical aid, which was then and there out of the
question. As he never heard of the man again,
Slade had no doubt that he had crawled off into
the woods, where he lay down and bled to death
without any one knowing what had become of him,
and yet, if reported at all, it could be only as
wounded or missing.

Th.re was a young man killed by the name of
Toliafero, who was from Surry county, and came
down as a volunteer with Jesse Franklin, late
Governor of the State. In what part of the army
they were engaged, I have not learned, but from
circumstances I infer that they were on the left,
either with Butler's brigade, or with Campbell's
riflemen. They rode down, but tied their horses in
the woods at some distance from the scene of
conflict. At the close, when Tarleton was sent
with his dragoons to extricate the Hessians, as Lee
had left with his cavalry, he soon scattered them,
killing some, and wounding others. When all
were flying for safety, these two young men ran
towards their horses, and were pursued by some
dragoons. Franklin by cutting his bridle, barely
made his escape ; but Toliafero, who undertook to
untie his bridle, was cut down by the sword of a
dragoon when in the act of mounting. Franklin,
afterwards, when the British had left the neighbor-

144 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

hood, returned to the place, buried his friend, and
carried back his armor to his family. In that
merciless onslaught of the dragoons, several must
have been killed, and more wounded, as Tarleton
intimates in his history ; but scattered, as they
were, through the woods in every direction, Vir-
ginians and North Carolinians together, they could
not possibly be all found and reported at the Iron
Works by the second day after the battle.

If the reader chooses to add Pinkerton, Toliafero
and the other man, or only two of them, to the num-
ber reported as killed, and then divide as before, he
will be a little surprised to find what a difference it
willmake in the relative proportion. It was im-
possible that Williams or any body else could then
know what execution was done by the front line, or
how much it suffered in the action ; for we know
that several were wounded and probably some killed
after the field officers had all left. They retreated,
every one of them, with the mass, some of them
leading the way, and left portions of their men still
engaged with the enemy. Captain Forbis was
wounded and two of his neighbors, Thomas Wi-
ley and William Paisley, after the field officers had
all left and were beyond the reach of danger. For-
bis was mortally wounded and lay there till the
afternoon of the second day, forty-eight hours, when
he was found by some of his neighbors and taken
home. There may have been others, but these have
incidentally come to my knowledge from having
lived a good part of my life among their descend-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 145

ants, many of whom have been, ever since, most
valuable members of the Alamance church.

The men under the immediate command of For-
bis were probably the most firm and efficient part of
the line, and, if we are right in supposing that the
regiment of which Williams had received no report
was the one which was left under his command, it
will give a different aspect to the whole affair. It
will explain the difficulties in the official return of
Williams ; it will confirm the statements of the
British historians and of Capt. Stuart, all of whom
were actors in the scene, and it will accord with the
testimony of substantial and reliable men of this
region, who were in the battle.

We give here another fact or another testimony
respecting the efficiency of the first line, which
deserves at least some consideration. On the morn-
ing of the battle the British left a portion of their
baggage and a number of prisoners, under a small
guard, at or near New Garden meeting house.
Among the prisoners were Christian Hoffman and
William dimming, who died a few years ago in
Greensboro'. Mr. Gumming told me, a few years
before his death, that when the front line delivered
their first fire it made such an impression on the
British that an express came from Cornwallis order-
ing the guard to retreat with the baggage to a
specified place, and that they had actually com-
menced the retreat when another express came with
an order to remain for the Americans were giving
way. John Clapp, who is one of our most estima-
ble and now one of our oldest citizens, told me,

146 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

some ten or twelve years ago, that, in the early part
of his life, he was well acquainted with Christian
Hoffman and had often heard him make precisely
the same statement.

In making out the estimate it should be borne in
mind that the Yirginia militia were far from home,
"strangers in a strange land," and that all their
wounded who could get off the ground would be
obliged to stay with the main body; but with the
North Carolina militia it was just the reverse, espe-
cially with Butler's brigade ; for the battle-field
being within the limits of his military district, all
the wounded who could get away, either by their
own strength or by the help of friends, would push
for home, which, it is well known, they did.

Of Lawson's entire brigade, probably about eight
hundred, only one man was killed, and he belonged to
the rank and file. If any part of the North Carolina
militia suffered less than that we would like to
know it ; and yet, it is only between that brigade,
which, according to history, were raw militia, re-
cently drafted, and the two brigades of North Caro-
lina, all of whom, except a handful of volunteers,
had been drafted only a few days before, that a
comparison of this kind can have any fairness. With
these facts before them, it is strange, " 'tis passing
strange," that men who profess to be impartial his-
torians, should bestow almost unmeasured praise
on the one, and only censure and opprobrium on
the other ; but some allowance ought to be made,
perhaps, for they were guided by the reports of the
field officers. I am not making a comparison

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 147

between the North Carolina and Virginia militia ;
for it has been already made in all the histories of
the country, and I am only showing its unfairness.
In a regular army only those are put in office
whose courage and capacity have been well tried ;
but in the militia it is very different. There men
are chosen for their popularity, or their social
position ; and, of course, some will be found in the
hour of trial to be good metal, and others will prove
to be utterly worthless. Such has always been the
case with raw militia taken at random, and drafted
on the spur of the occasion. When men of princi-
ple, character and property, turn out in defence of
their rights or their country, they will stand their
ground, and often as well as veteran troops ; but in
drafted militia, there will always be many who have
neither property, principle nor character to lose,
which should be borne in mind and duly considered
in the present case. In all the militia, from Virginia
and North Carolina, I believe that there were some
good officeis, and some who were worse than none.
Ah, but " most of them threw away their guns, with-
out discharging them!" Did they? No doubt
some of them did that very thing ; and who will say
that none of the Virginia militia were liable to the
same charge?* According to the testimony of

* On the approach of the enemy at Gates' defeat, as Kam-
sey tells us, the Virginia militia, who composed the left wing,
threw down their arms, and fled with great precipitation. A
part of the North Carolina militia followed the unworthy
example ; but the remainder, under Gen. Gregory, showed the
firmness of veterans, and kept the field while they had a cart-

148 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

reliable men who were in the battle, as I had it
years ago, Lawson's brigade yielded as soon on the
approach of the British and fled in about as much
confusion as any others. The worthless portion of
militia may have thrown away their arms as soon as
the enemy came within striking distance, and some
others, especially such as felt nnable to keep up
with the rest on the retreat, may have dropped theirs
by the way, from necessity, as Gen. Greene left his
artillery because he could not get away and take it
with him ; but that most of them, or even a large
portion of them thus threw away their arms is out
of the question. Col. McLeod, who made the official
return of the British army, reported that they " got
one thousand three hundred stands of arms which had
been distributed to the militia, and destroyed on the
field." Destroyed? how? when? by whom? If these
guns all belonged to the militia, and were destroyed
by the British after the battle, many of them must
have belonged to other militia than those of North
Carolina ; for one thousand three hundred was two
hundred and forty more than all the militia from this
State, and we know that a large portion of them kept
their guns. At that time, when game was plenty,
every man who was of any account, would have a
rifle if he had to go in debt for it ; and his rifle was
about the last thing he would think of throwing away.

ridge to fire. After the battle eighty-two wounded men of the
North Carolina militia were carried into Cambden, and only
two of the Virginia militia. The North Carolina continentals
were the firmest troops in the field, and the whole of her
militia would probably have stood their ground had it not
been for the example of their neighbors.

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 149

The greater part of Butler's brigade, I imagine,
had rifles— Si mms, in his life of Greene, when
speaking of the front line in the Guilford battle,
says, they were nearly all armed with rifles — and
they must have been desperately frightened or hard
pressed by the enemy before they would throw them
away. The men from Alamance all took theirs
home and used them many a long day afterwards.
Besides, nearly half of the whole line returned to
the Iron Works and were eager next day for an op-
portunity to retrieve their character; but they would
be ashamed to appear at head-quarters if they had
thrown away their guns. When I came into this
county, the battle was still a common topic of con-
versation among the old men ; but I never heard
any of them, whether he had been in the battle or
not, mention the first man who^was even reported
to have thrown away his gun.

Of Eaton's brigade I have learned nothing definite
or satisfactory; but from the brief statements of
Tarleton and Stedman, I would infer that the whole
line, generally, at least delivered one fire and a por-
tion of it fired a second time. This is in accordance
with the general traditions of the neighborhood,
when I came into it, and is probably not far from
the truth.

When they came to their rendezvous at the Iron
Works, next day, a great many, both officers and
men, were reported as missing. Of the Virginia
militia, one field officer, a major, was missing, but
none from the North Carolina militia ; and this fact
I regard as confirmatory of my assumption that the
IX

150 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

regiment of which. Williams received no report, was
the one placed under the command of Forbis. That
the command was given him is of course not men-
tioned in history ; for general history cannot take
notice of such minute arrangements; but it is a well
known fact and, in consequence of it, the honorary
title of colonel has been ever since given him by
his countrymen. The colonel who was on that
morning, appointed to a special service, was so
appointed only for the day and returned with the
army to head-quarters that night or next morning ;
but not having been in the battle, he could make
no report ; and Forbes being only a captain, had no
right to report, or if it had been required of him,
he was so desperately wounded that it was out of
his power.

In the official return of Williams* it was stated

* Williams' return of Militia killed, wounded, and missing
in the action at Guilford court-house, in North Carolina, the
15th of March, 1781. — Copied from Tarleton.

First brigade Virginia militia, commanded by Brigadier
General Stephens. Killed, two captains, nine rank and file.
Wounded, one captain, four subalterns, thirty rank and file.
Missing, one major, one captain, three subalterns, three ser-
geants, one hundred and thirty-three rank and file.

Second brigade, Virginia militia, commanded by Brigadier-
General Lawson. Killed, one rank and file. "Wounded, one
major, two subalterns, thirteen rank and file. Missing, one
subaltern, three sergeants, eighty-three rank and file.

Rifle regiment, commanded by Colonels Campbell and Lynch.
Killed, two captains, one rank and file. Wounded, one cap-
tain, one subaltern, one serjeant, thirteen rank and file.
Missing, one captain, seven subalterns, eight Serjeants,
seventy-eight rank and file.

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 151

that five hundred and sixty-one were missing,
eleven officers all below the rank of field officers,
and five hundred and fifty-two rank and file. This
was a little more than half of the whole ; but some
deductions must be made. The Virginia militia being
far from home, were under a necessity of keeping
together, but those from this state, being, a large
portion of them at least, within reach of home, were

Total, eight captains, eighteen subalterns, fifteen Serjeants,
three hundred and sixty-one rank and file.

Brigadier-General Stephens, wounded through the thigh.
Many of those missing are expected to return, or to be fouud
at their homes.

0. II. WILLIAMS,
Deputy Adjutant-General.

Return of the North Carolina militia, killed, wounded and
missing in the action at Guilford court-house, in North Caro-
lina the 15th of March, 1781.

Two brigades, commanded by Brigadier-Generals Butler
and Eaton. Killed, six rank and file. Wounded, one captain,
one subaltern, three rank and file. Missing, two captains,
nine subalterns, five hundred and fifty-two rank and file.

Total, three captains, ten subalterns, five hundred and sixty-
one rank and file.

The North Carolina cavalry, commanded by the Marquis
of Bretegny, lost one man killed, and one wounded.

I have received no return of one of the North Carolina
regiments. Those missing are supposed to have gone home.
According to the reports of the general and field officers, very
few were killed and taken, most of them having thrown away
their arms and abandoned the field early in the action.
0. H. WILLIAMS,
Deputy Adjutant-General.

Published by order of Congress,

Charles Thomson, Sec.

152 KEVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

under a strong temptation to return thither, and
many of them would, no doubt, appear at head-
quarters after the official return was made out.
Then there were more killed and wounded than
were known to him or any other officer in camp ;
and finally the volunteers did not intend and felt
themselves under no obligations to return. Forbis
and his men volunteered for the occasion and in-
tended to stay no longer than the battle. As they
went to head-quarters and put themselves under the
command of Gen. Greene, they would be included
in the whole number with which he went into the
battle ; but they ought not to be reported among
the missing. So with most of the others, and this
should be remembered.

From all I have learned, I am satisfied that, not
only the unsoldierly conduct chargeable on a por-
tion of the militia, but the statement in that official
return of Col. Williams, which has been the cause
of so much vituperation, was owing to two or three
officers who needed some apology for their conduct.
It was a hard matter to make the world believe that
independence was first declared in North Carolina,
more than a year before it was declared by the
Continental Congress; and many may be slow to
believe all I have stated respecting the conduct of
our militia in this battle, because Johnson, on the
authority of a very imperfect report, has said that
they threw away their arms and fled; but justice,
though it may be slow paced will get here sometime.
I have not been trying to make out a case, but to

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 153

do justice, and whether I have succeeded or not
the reader must judge.

There were a number of little incidents connected
with the battle, some of which may, perhaps, be
interesting, at least to the juvenile portion of my
readers.

A very respectable old gentleman, by the name
of Peter Rife, with whom I became acquainted, a
number of years ago, at the Springs in Virginia, told
me that, when Col. Lee was informed of the British
guard at Mendenhall's mill, he resolved to take it
by surprise, if he could ; and, for this purpose, he
sent some of his men the evening before to recon-
noitre. On a fine eminence, about a mile from the
mill, there were two large hickory trees, which are
yet standing; and two, of his men, by ascending
those trees and keeping the body of the tree between
them and the mill, got a fine view of the premises,
of the position occupied by the picket, and the way
of access. On the morning of the 15th Lee was there
with his cavalry by day-break ; but the men were
all gone. He questioned Mrs. Mendenhall very
closely ; but all she could tell him was, that about
eleven or twelve o'clock in the night she heard a
bugle, apparently at a great distance, but coming
very rapidly, still waxing louder and louder as it
approached; and in five minutes after it arrived,
they were all gone. Until now it was uncertain
when the battle would take place, but this satisfied
Lee that the British would be on their way to Mar-
tinville at an early hour and he returned to New
Garden.

154 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

On arriving at the meeting-house, they turned or
continued up the road, but had not gone over a
mile until they met the British dragoons in a lane.
It was well understood that Col. Lee would always
have the best horse the country afforded, and on
this occasion, his horse, a fine chesnut-sorrel, high-
spirited, like his master, and of superior qualities
for that business, was so good that he lost him.
The sun was about an hour high, and shining with
unclouded splendor. They were going west, with
their backs to the sun, while the British were meet-
ing them and facing the east. When the slanting
rays fell upon the British armor, which was all
burnished very bright, such a flash of light was
thrown back on the American horses, as they ap-
proached, that it frightened them and caused a
momentary disorder. Lee's horse threw his rider
and got away from him, but one of his men instantly
alighted, and putting the Colonel on his horse,
undertook to shift for himself in the best way he
could, which he did by falling in with the legion or
Campbell's riflemen. The horse ran to a stable
about a mile from the place, and unceremoniously
took possession. Next morning, which was the
morning after the battle, a man in the neighbor-
hood, who had no standing in society, and no settled
principles, but would do anything to catch a penny,
or ingratiate himself with those in power, having
learned where the horse was, went to the stable and
got him, took him to the British camp at Martin-
ville, and sold him to Tarleton for a guinea or two,
just enough to pay him for his trouble. The first

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 155

part of this account I had from Mr. Eife. The
other, about selling the horse, from an old Quaker,
man j years ago.

The statements of Mr. Eife, respecting the opera-
tions in the morning, agreed very well with the
accounts which we have in history. He said they
had three skirmishes, or, as he termed it, three
"bouts" with them before they got to the court-
house, and that Lee lost seventeen of his men in
these encounters. When they arrived at the scene
of action, cool as the morning was, their horses were
all in a foam of sweat, and were nearly broke down ;
but Col. Lee rode along the front line from one end
to the other, exhorting them to stand firm, and not
be afraid of the British ; for he swore that he had
whipped them three times that morning, and could
do it again. From the part which Col. Lee per-
formed, some one made a song, which was, for some
time, sung over the country, beginning,

On the fifteenth of March, in the year eighty-one,
When the brave Col. Lee brought the whole battle on.

In his Life of Greene, Johnson reflects on Col.
Lee for not duly obeying orders, and for some
movements which he supposes were not conducive
to the main object, intimating that he failed in his
duty by prematurely drawing off his legion and
cavalry from the protection of Campbell's riflemen,
and thus leaving them exposed to the British
dragoons ; then by taking his position so far to the
left of the Continentals that he could be of no ser-
vice ; nor did Gen. Greene know where he was ;

156 EEVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

and by taking a different route to the Iron Works,
so that he could give no assistance in covering the
retreat, and left the commander in doubt with
respect to his fate. As I am not writing a regular
history, I shall not enter into an investigation of this
matter, but leave the reader to judge for himself.

Johnson may have been at least partially correct
in regard to the facts, but if they had all been true,
he has not dealt altogether fairly by Colonel Lee ;
for he had done so much hard fighting in the morn-
ing, and had undergone so much fatigue, that very
little more ought to have been expected of him.
Mr. Eife said that, directly after the firing with the
small arms commenced, an Aid came from General
Greene with an order, that for reasons which
need not be here given, Colonel Lee should take
command of the left wing, and Lee promptly
replied, " Tell General Greene that I cannot and
will not ; for both my men and my horses are run
down." Rife said he was sitting on his horse, where
he distinctly heard both the order and the reply.
He had rode that morning, some twenty-five or
thirty miles, before the action at the court-house
commenced, and was often on a hard strain, over
extremely bad roads. He had been engaged in
three conflicts, and had lost a number of his men.
Tarleton and his dragoons were not required to do
anything during the engagement, except at the
close, to extricate Leslie from the riflemen in the
woods, which was a small matter; but Colonel
Lee, whose fatigue had been much greater, certainly
had better reasons for exemption. Eife further

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 157

stated, that some time after the above order, lie
could not tell how long, another messenger came
with a different order, which he could not hear;
but Lee was preparing to comply with it, when the
retreat commenced. It seems, then, that General
Greene was not altogether ignorant of Lee's where-
abouts nntil they arrived at the place of rendez-
vous ; but, in accounts of battles, such little mis-
takes and discrepancies are common.

For two or three days before the battle, Thomas
Donnell, who lived on the north side of Eeedy
Fork, and about a mile above what is now Foulke's
mill, had been riding over the country with Col.
Washington, as a guide ; and about nine o'clock on
the morning of the battle, they came into the New
Garden road, a short distance above the place
where the front line was drawn np. Donnell then
told the Colonel, that as he had now got beyond his
range, and could be of no further service, he might
as well let him go ; but Washington told him that
he had a better idea of the ground than he had,
and he could not consent; his object being to ride
over the ground before the action commenced. At
that moment they saw a man coming out from a
house two or three hundred yards above, and ad-
vancing very rapidly towards them. Donnell then
observed, that as the man lived there, he knew all
about the ground, and he had better press him into
the service. The man had just commenced his
flight from the coming storm, and when he came
within a few rods of them, he took a left hand
country road running north; but Washington

158 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

hailed him and made him stop. On his coming
up, Washington told him that he wished to become
acquainted with the gronnd round about there, and
must detain him for a guide. The fugitive refused,
and said impatiently, he could not stay ; but Wash-
ington was positive, and he had to submit. Pre-
tending to make a virtue of necessity, he said he
would not object if he had a better horse, but was
unwilling, as the enemy were approaching, to re-
main on the one he was riding, which was indeed
a poor concern.

Washington then told Donnell he must exchange
horses with him, but he demurred most strenuously,
and said he could not let his horse go, which was
really a first-rate animal. The Colonel, however,
told him it was a case of necessity, and he must
submit. The exchange was then made, very reluc-
tantly on one side, and very gladly on the other;
but no sooner was the trifling scamp on the back of
Donnell's horse, than he laid whip, dashed off at full
speed, and they saw no more of him. Donnell said
he hardly ever saw a man more excited than
Washington was for a few minutes, but it was of
no avail, and he recovered his equanimity. The
man never returned, or, if he did, it was only for a
short time, and it was not generally known. Thus,
by a little sharp-witted rascality, Washington had
to do without a guide, and Donnell lost his favorite
horse.

As Donnell was wending his way home on his
newly-acquired Eosenante, about half a mile below
Martinville, on the High Eock road, he met three

THE BRITISH ARMY IK NORTH CAROLINA. 159

of his neighbors, John Larkin, John Allison and
David Cummins, who were footing it along with
their rifles, and on their way to the "shooting-
match." Larkin was a native Hibernian, and had
been brought over to this country by Donnell's
father, who paid his passage, and Larkin was to
repay him in work, which he did very honorably,
and then worked until he earned enough to buy a
farm, on which he was now living quite comforta-
bly, with a wife and two or three children. When
thus met, he was carrying his gun on his left
shoulder and holding in his right hand a spit with
a piece of meat sticking on the end of it. Using
the freedom to which he was entitled, Donnell said
to him, " Why, John, you had better throw away
that meat, you will have something else to do pre-
sently." "No, fa'th," said Johnny, "I may have
need of it yet ;" and then, turning on his heel and
tossing up his head, they all marched off together
with a brisk and cheerful step towards the scene of
action. On entering the old field beyond the
court-house, though ignorant of the arrangements,
and not knowing one officer from another, he went
to Capt. Kirkwood, the American Diomede, and
asked him if he might fall in with his company.
u To be sure, sir," was the curt, but cordial reply.
He asked again, if he might take a tree, as there was
a small one standing just before him, and received
the same answer, "To be sure, sir." Kirkwood said
afterwards, that he expected to see him run as soon
as the British came in sight, but was very agreeably
disappointed. The orders were, not to fire until

160 REVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

the enemy came within sixty steps ; and Larkin
stood there very patiently, holding the spit in his
right hand, and with the other resting his gun on
the ground until he thought they were about that
distance from him, when he asked the captain if he
might fire now, and received an affirmative answer.
Then sticking the butt end of his spit in the ground
beside him, with the meat still on it, and laying his
rifle up against the tree, he took steady aim and
laid out his man. Kirk wood said he stood within
a few feet of him watching him closely all the time,
and when the gun cracked he saw a red coat fall
and roll down the hill. He stood his ground as
well as any of them until the retreat, when he
marched with them through Martinville, and until
he came to his road, when he returned home.

In Butler's Brigade was a young man by the
name of Bill Sartain, who had seen very little of the
world and knew nothing of war. He had very little
idea of a battle ; but was rather pleased than other-
wise with the prospect of having it to say afterwards
that he had been in one. So, he rigged himself out
as well as he could, all in homespun, and among
other articles, he got a new hat, of which he was
very proud. In the action he stood his ground with
commendable firmness, and gave one fire. He then
commenced preparation for another ; but before he
got ready, a musket-ball from the enemy grazed his
forehead which stunned him so that he fell to the
ground where he lay for a moment or two senseless,
and his new hat lay beside him altogether uncon-
scious of what had befallen its master. On recover-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 161

ing from his transient insensibility, the British were
so close that there was no chance for him to escape,
the brigade were all gone, and he lay there flat on
the ground, pretending to be dead, in which he acted
his part so well that the enemy did not think worth
while even to give him a push with the bayonet, but
in their eagerness to go at the Virginia line, rushed
over him, trampling over him and his hat without
any ceremony or remorse of conscience. When
they engaged with the Virginians, he got up and, by
making a considerable circuit, got back to the court-
house, where many from all the militia brigades had
assembled, and were remaining as spectators of the
conflict about to take place with the regulars in the
old field. On meeting with his comrades, and giving
them an account of his misfortunes — how he had
been knocked down by a musket-ball, and how the
rascally Britishers had rushed over him without any
regard to his feelings ; but he said, with perfect sin-
cerity and deep concern, he wouldn't mind it so much
if they hadn't tramj^t on his new hat.

"William Paisley, father of the Eev. Samuel Pais-
ley, who is yet living, was one of Captain Forbis'
neighbors, and one of his firmest men. He was one
of the last to leave the ground; and, when about to
retreat, on looking under the smoke, the British
were so near that there seemed to be no chance of
escape ; and dropping on the ground, he lay with
his face in the leaves as if he were dead. Supposing
that he was dead, they rushed by without noticing
him, and engaged with the Virginians. As soon as
they had done so he got up, and on looking round,

162 KEVOLUTIONABY INCIDENTS.

he saw a British soldier who was a very large man,
and so much afraid of the rifles that he was keeping
a tree between him and danger, peeping first by one
side and then by the other. He said he thought he
would give the cowardly dog one pop at all events,
and, levelling his rifle, he laid him on the ground at
the root of the tree.

But the British, notwithstanding their boasted
valor could play possum as well as any of our militia,
when it became necessary. Johnson tells us that,
" in the route of the British guards, the Americans
made a number of prisoners, and might have taken
more, if they had been able to distinguish those who
were really dead from those who pretended to be
so." There was a Captain Lovett, of the guards,
from whose fob a Maryland soldier found leisure
on the field of battle to take a handsome watch.
Washington purchased the watch from the soldier ;
and Lovett not being returned as killed or wounded,
the conclusion was obvious. It afforded mirth to
the American army, but is said to have compelled
him to retire from the service. Even a brave man
may sometimes find " discretion the better part of
valor;" and it ought not to be deemed an unpardon-
able offence if, in some instances, he would rather
" live to fight another day."

On the south side of the battle ground, there lived
a man by the name of Thomas White, a very clever
and respectable Quaker, whose premises were trav-
ersed by the right wing of the British army. His
house, like most others then in the country, was a
small log house, with a potato hole under the floor and

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 163

directly in front of the fire-place, the access to which
was by raising two or three planks which extended
only across the two first sleepers and were left un-
fastened for the purpose. When he found that his
house would come within sweep of the contending
armies, he got into the potato hole and his wife let
down the planks again. Next morning one of the
neighbors came over to learn how he had fared the
day before, and not seeing him, asked his wife
Betsy, where Thomas was. " Well," said she, " he
is not far off," and raised two of the short plank,
when, lo and behold, "broad brim" started up
through the floor as large as life, safe and sound, to
the great joy of his friend and all about. As he
was a Quaker and conscientiously opposed to war, we
do not blame him for thus screening himself from
danger, but we cannot help thinking what a fine
opportunity he had, during that day and night in
the potato hole, secure, amid all the roar of cannon,
the clash of arms and the fierce conflict of human
passions, to meditate profoundly on the horrors of
war, and the depravity of human nature.

Stedman relates a case of presentiment in a
British officer, which was only one out of many that
occurred during the war and which we give in his
own words. " We shall here relate an anecdote re-
specting the late Capt. Maynard of the guards.
He was naturally of a cheerful disposition and great
hilarity, and in several actions, during the course
of the war, had shown great gallantry ; but a cer-
tain presentiment of his fate on the day of the action
at Guilford possessed his mind, which presentiment

164 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

was too fatally realized. While the troops were
marching on to form the line of battle, he became
gloomy, and gave way to despondency. Not less
than two or three times did he tell Colonel Norton,
who commanded the battalion, that he felt himself
very uncomfortable, and did not like the business
at all. Colonel, now the Honorable Major-Greneral
Norton, endeavored to laugh him out of his melan-
choly ideas, but in vain, for, even after the canonade
began, he reiterated the forebodings of what he con-
ceived was to happen. Early in the action he re-
ceived a wound in the leg, unable to proceed, he
requested Mr. Wilson, the adjutant of the Guards,
to lend him his horse, that he might ride on with
the battalion, and when in the act of mounting,
another shot went through his lungs, and incapaci-
tated him from proceeding. After being conveyed in
a litter to Wilmington, and there lingering a few
days, he died of his wounds, greatly regretted."

The following incident I had from Mr Eife, who
was an eye witness to what he related, and, like
many others of a similar kind, it may serve to illus-
trate the sufferings endured on such occasions, and
also the sudden alternations of kindness and revenge,
on the part of individuals when excited by objects
of compassion, or by acts of apparent hostility.
There were two Irishmen, one of whom belonged
to the British and the other to the American army.
Of course Mr. Eife did not know their names ; but,
for the sake of convenience, we shall call the one
belonging to the British O'Bryan, and the other
Jimmison. O'Bryan had been badly wounded ; and,

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 165

from the intensity of his pain, without thinking or
caring where he went, he had strayed off so far from
corps to which he belonged and towards the Court
House, that he was near the road by which the
Americans retreated. Being within a few steps and
recognizing in Jimmison a countryman, he called to
him, and begged for mercy's sake to give him a
drink of water. He held in his hand a long round
staff, resembling that on which the Ensign carries
his flag, and had on the top of it a sharp iron, like
that which we commonly see on the top of a flag
staff. Jimmison happening to have some water in
his canteen, stepped up very kindly and gave him a
drink. "When he turned to go away, and before he
had got any distance, O'Bryan, so frenzied with
pain and thirst, as Rife supposed, that he did not
know what he was doing, threw his staff, with all
his remaining strength, at his benefactor, and the
iron point struck him, but inflicted only a slight
wound. Jimmison then turned back and drove his
bayonet into O'Bryan's heart, which at once put an
end to his life and his misery. Having done so, he
turned towards Martinsville and overtook his com-
pany just as they were entering the village.

During the engagement, General Stephens had
been wounded in the thigh by a musket ball, but
did not entirely leave the field, or at least, when the
retreat commenced, he was able to go along. He
and General Greene rode together ; and when pass-
ing through the village, as if forgetful of the ap-
palling scenes which they were leaving, and although
the blood was spouting from Stephens' thigh at
12

166 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

every lope the horse made, the two Generals were
talking and laughing as pleasantly as if they had
just finished a game of Fives. This appeared strange
to the women and children ivho saw them from
their windows as they passed, from one of whom,
then a little girl in her tenth year, I received the
account, when a very old woman; but it showed
the courage and self-command of a hero. What it
was that so much interested them, is not known.
They might have been pleased, to think what a
thrashing they had given the British, or General
Greene might have been relating the narrow escape
which he had just made, or some other incidents
which have neither been recorded nor remembered ;
but such are the men to have the command of ar-
mies, and to direct the storm of battle. This feel-
ing of cheerfulness was, however, but momentary.
The excitement of the contest soon subsided, or was
driven away by the realities of his situation, which
now began to press upon his mind, and with so
much force, that nothing could have sustained him,
but the consciousness that he was engaged in the
cause of freedom and humanity.

The day had been clear and cool ; but toAvards
evening the clouds gathered, and a cold driving
rain commenced, which continued through the night.
His feelings had never been so severely tried ; and,
of all the anxious and sleepless nights he had hith-
erto passed, this was by far the most painful. Many
of his brave fellows lay cold in death on that bat-
tle-field which he was leaving, and many more lay
there suffering intensely from cold, hunger, and the

THE BRITISH ARMY 13" NORTH CAROLINA. 167

•wounds they had received, exposed to " the pelt-
ings of the pitiless storm," uncared for, and without
the least mitigation of their agonies. Then he was
retreating before a victorious enemy, with the re-
mains of his army famished with hunger, marching
over deep roads, and through the drenching rains
of that cold stormy night, fifteen or sixteen miles,
to a place of safety !

Whoever will let his imagination dwell on this
scene for one moment must value his liberties more
than ever, and feel a higher veneration for the men
by whose toils and sacrifices they were achieved ;
but let Gen. Greene speak for himself. On the day
after the battle he wrote to his wife a letter, in
which he says : "Our fatigue has been excessive.
I have not had my clothes off for upwards of six
weeks. Poor Major Burnet is sick, and in a
situation worse than you would think tolerable
for one of your negroes. Morris, too, is not well ;
indeed, my whole family are almost worn out.
The force coming to the southward, and the
situation of Gen. Arnold in Virginia, opens to us
more flattering prospects. But how uncertain are
human affairs ! I should be extremely happy if
the war had an honorable close, and I were on a
little farm with my little family about me. God
grant the day may not be far distant when peace
with all her train of blessings shall diffuse universal
joy through America.' '

The battle field during that evening and night
presented a most awful scene of suffering and
wretchedness. Such another was not witnessed

168 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

during the war ; and if Cornwallis had the common
feelings of humanity, they must have been as
intensely excited as those of Gen. Greene ; for he
saw there before him what Gen. Greene could only
imagine. As a matter of course the wounded of
the British army were attended to first; but as
they had neither shelter nor provisions, Yery little
could be done for any of them during the night.
They were scattered over a great extent of surface,
a mile long, and half a mile wide. Many of them
were in the woods, and the night was dark and
stormy, so that only a partial relief could be
afforded. It has always been said that Cornwallis
had the wounded of the American army treated
with as much humanity as possible, after his own
had been cared for, and it may have been so ; but
his lordship did not go to hunt up the wounded
himself, and those to whom it was intrusted,
hungry and weary as they were, however humane,
may have left many, like Capt. Forbis, entirely
neglected.

Stedman, who was commissary to the army of
Cornwallis, and who was therefore well acquainted
with its condition, gives the following account :
" The wounded of both . armies were collected by
the British as expeditiously as possible after the
action. It was, however, a service that required
both time and care, as from the nature of the action
they lay dispersed over a great extent of ground.
Every assistance was furnished to them that in the
present circumstances of the army could be
afforded; but, unfortunately, the army was desti-

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 169

tute of tents, nor was there a sufficient number of
houses near the field, of battle to receive the
wounded. The British army had marched several
miles on the morning of the day on which they
came to action. They had no provisions of any
species whatever on that day, nor until between
three and four in the afternoon of the succeeding
day, and then but a scanty allowance, not exceeding
one quarter of a pound of flour, and the same
quantity of very lean beef. The night of the
day on which the action happened was remarkable
for its darkness accompanied with rain, which fell
in torrents. Near fifty of the wounded, it is said,
sinking under their aggravated miseries, expired
before the morning. The cries of the wounded
and dying who remained on the field of action
during the night exceeded all description. Such a
complicated scene of horror and distress, it is
hoped, for the sake of humanity, rarely occurs,
even in a military life."

If Stedman, who published his history twelve
years, after and was with Cornwallis in all his
campaigns, in which he witnessed many a horrid
scene of blood and carnage — if he still retained
such a vivid impression of the one at Martinville,
it must have been distressing beyond any thing we
can conceive. Cornwallis spent the two following
days in burying the dead, refreshing his troops,
procuring subsistence, and remodelling his army ;
for it had been so cut up and reduced that some
re-organization was necessary. In his despatch to
Lord George Germain, dated the 17th, the second

170 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

day after the battle, he says that they could get no
forage under nine miles, and that the soldiers had
then been two days without bread. Stedman says
that on the 16th they got a quarter of a pound of
flour to a man ; but this was so little that the
discrepancy is of no consequence. Although
Cornwallis, in his general orders after the battle,
complimented the army on the bravery they had
displayed, and the victory they had gained, we can
see that it was in a very crippled condition, and
that he did not find any real advantage from his
nominal triumph. — (See Appendix, Orders for March
16, 17, 1781.)

Badly as his lordship was worsted by the battle
he did all he could to save appearances and main-
tain his influence with the loyalists. He proclaimed
the victory far and near, and Governor Martin being
along with his printing press, as we learn from some
incidental notices, on the 18th he issued the follow-
ing proclamation :

" By the Bight honorable Charles Earl Cornwallis,
Lieutenant- General of His Majesty's forces, &c.
"A Proclamation.

"Whereas, by the blessing of Almighty God, His
Majesty's arms have been crowned with signal suc-
cess, by the complete victory obtained over the
rebel forces on the 15th instant, I have thought
proper to issue this proclamation to call upon all
loyal subjects to stand forth and take an active part
in restoring good order and government. And
whereas, it has been represented to me, that many

THE BRITISH ARAIY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 171

persons in this province, who have taken a share
in this unnatural rebellion, but having experienced
the oppression and injustice of the rebel govern-
ment, and having seen the errors into which they
have been deluded by falsehoods and misrepresen-
tations, are sincerely desirous of returning to their
duty and allegiance, I do hereby notify and promise
to all such persons, (murderers excepted) that if
they will surrender themselves, with their arms
and amunition, at head-quarters, or to the officer
commanding in the district contiguous to their
respective places of residence, on or before the 20th
day of April next, they shall be permitted to return
to their homes, upon giving a military parole, and
shall be protected in their persons and properties
from all sorts of violence from the British troops,
and will be restored as soon as possible to all the
privileges of legal and constitutional government.

"Given under my hand at head-quarters, this
18th day of March, A. D. 1781, and in the twenty-
first year of his Majesty's reign.

" CORNWALLIS."

The proclamation was in vain; for very few of
the loyalists resorted to the British standard after
the battle. Most of them had discernment enough
to see that, although Cornwallis kept the ground
and claimed the victory, he had been roughly
handled and that his army was greatly reduced in
number, that he was obliged to leave a large num-
ber of his wounded soldiers on the charity and
kindness of the good people in the neighborhood
and that he was actually leaving the country which,

172 EEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

he pretended to have conquered — all which would
have made them cautious even if they had not been
previously so cut to pieces themselves.

Stedman says, " when the extent of the British
loss was fully ascertained, it became too apparent
that Lord Cornwallis was not in a condition either
to give immediate pursuit, or to follow the blow the
day after the action." And in a note on the next
page he says, "Lord Cornwallis was greatly dis-
appointed in his expectation of being joined by the
loyalists. Some of them indeed came within the
lines, but they remained only a few days." In
another place he tells us that only about two hun-
dred of them joined them during their progress
through the State, and that his lordship was greatly
disappointed.

On the morning of the 17th, he sent off as many
of his wounded as he could to Bell's Mill, under the
escort of Col. Hamilton's corps; but he sent only
such as were expected to recover of their wounds,
and be serviceable again in the army. About seventy,
according to Stedman, of such as were thought to
be mortally wounded, or were too bad to be re-
moved, and, in the opinion of the surgeons, could
not recover, or not in time to answer their purpose,
were left at New Grarden under the protection of a
flag, some of whom died and some eventually
recovered.

About fourteen years ago, James Edwards, a
Quaker, who was then a very old man, having been
about twenty-one at the time of the battle, told me
that Captain Ripke was taken to the house of his

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 173

father, David Edwards, where he was nursed and
attended for two or three weeks. Edwards being
a Quaker might have been mistaken as to his rank,
but he was an officer, and belonged to Tarleton's
corps. The ball — of a pistol, we suppose — had
entered the lower part of the chest, but did not
penetrate any vital part. Whenever he turned
suddenly from one side to the other it would drop
down and make a noise. He would frequently call
the old man, and throw himself over to let him hear
it, then get mad and curse it, " dem the thing,
dem the thing;" but he measurably recovered,
though the ball was not extracted, returned to Eng-
land, and wrote to his benefactor thanking him for
his kindness.

They left the battle-ground before noon of the
17th, and lay that night in the neighborhood of
New Garden, They left without doing any injury
to the village, except burning the house of Mr.
Campbell, who lived at the north-west corner of the
court-house, and who was probably an active Whig
On the morning of the 18th, he directed his course
to the sea board, and made all the haste he could.
Tarleton says, "Earl Cornwallis, therefore, com-
menced his march on the 18th for Deep river, on
his way to Cross creek ;" and Cornwallis in his
letter to Lord George Germain, dated Wilmington,
April 18th, 1781, says, " I marched from Guilford
on the morning of the 18th of March, and the next
day arrived at Bell's Mill, where I gave the troops
two days' rest, and procured a small supply of pro-
visions." His lordship's proclamation was a mere

174 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

puff, and had little or no effect on the Tories. In
the Order Book, which extends no further than
Bell's Mill, I find no notice of them, except the
appointment or recognition of a militia colonel, and
some specification of his powers. {See Appendix,
Orders for March 18, 19, 20, 1781.)

From the above orders it appears that, while they
were at Bell's mill, James Hunter, Esq., was ap-
j)ointed Lieut.-Colonel of Militia, and it is im-
plied that some persons, loyalists, we suppose, who
in their view had been misled, and induced to take
part with the rebels, here surrendered; but they
must have been very few. In his letter to Lord
George Germain, dated April 18th, 1781, Cornwallis
gives his reasons for this invasion of North Carolina,
and its results thus far in regard to the loyalists from
which we copy the following extract, and feel confi-
dent that it will be gratifying to the reader.

" The principal reasons for undertaking the win-
ter's campaign were, the difficulty of a defensive
war in South Carolina, and the hope that our
friends in North Carolina, who were said to be very
numerous, would make good their promises of as-
sembling and taking an active part with us, in en-
deavoring to re-establish his majesty's government.
Our experience has shown, that their numbers luere
not so great as had been represented, and that their
friendship was only passive, for we have received
little assistance from them since our arrival in the
province ; and, although I gave the strongest and
most public assurances, that after refitting and de-
positing our sick and wounded, I should return to

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 175

the upper country, not above two hundred have been
prevailed upon to follow us, either as provincials or
militia."

Had it not been for the Continentals, and such a
man as Gen. Greene at their head, the British might
have overrun this State and brought it into tempo-
rary subjection, as they did South Carolina, and
would have done any other State in the Union with-
out a regular army ; but, as it was, they did not un-
dertake a more toilsome, harassing, or fruitless
campaign, north or south, during the war; and every
son of the Old North State will be pleased to learn
that there were not half, probably not a tenth part
as many real Tories in it as has been represented.

On arriving at Bell's mill, Cornwallis took pos-
session of the house, and kindly promised Mrs. Bell
that she and her property should be protected, and
no general or extensive depredations were com-
mitted. Some trespasses were perhaps unavoidable,
such as taking grain, provisions, and some other
things, which were comparatively unimportant ; but
these, together with what passed on taking posses-
sion of the house relative to the result of the late
battle, and some minor incidents, will be detailed in
another place where they will be rather more appro-
priate.

Gen. Greene remained in his camp three or four
days, beyond the Iron Works, expecting to be at-
tacked ; but his apprehensions were groundless, for
Cornwallis was much more uneasy lest Greene should
pursue and overtake him. As soon as it became
certain that he would not be attacked but that the

176 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

enemy were retreating, he went in pursuit. The
tables were now turned. He, who only a few weeks
before was flying before his enemy, has become the -
pursuer. Cornwallis had about forty miles the
start of him, but he seemed to vacillate in his pur-
pose and Qen. Greene took a route that was a little
nearer. Johnson says that Cornwallis "pressed
forward across Deep river in a direction towards
Salisbury," as if intending, or making Greene believe
it was his intention to push into South Carolina,
but it is doubtful whether he had either in his
mind ; for Tarleton says, " Some supplies of flour
and meal being collected in the neighborhood of
Bell's Mill, the royal forces again crossed Deep river,
that they might move through a country well sup-
plied with forage," on the road to Ramsey's mill.
Crippled and encumbered as he was with sick and
wounded he had no time to lose in stratagems, and
of this Gen. Greene was well aware.

Before they left Bell's, on the morning of the 21st,
Lee and Washington were hovering near and cut-
ting off stragglers. Occasionally they hung a mur-
dering Tory, had one or two of their own men killed,
and sometimes attacked a flanking party or the rear
of the enemy. Stedman says, " Occasional skir-
mishes happened between the light troops;" and
Tarleton makes a much stronger statement as we
shall see presently. Either Cornwallis was in doubt
himself, or he aimed to keep Gen. Greene in doubt
whether he would cross Deep river or make a push
across the Haw where he would be safe ; for instead
of going the most direct route to Eamsey's, he bore to

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 177

the left and went by Dixon's mill on Cane creek,
where they encamped. His lordship took possession
of the dwelling, a stone house near the mill, and
Mrs. Dixon left the place. The army encamped on
the high ground this side, part of them being on the
ground where Thomas Dixon's house now stands,
and where the evidences of their having been
there still remain. Several of their men died that
night and were laid in the burying ground attached
to the Quaker meeting house. Besides sheep and
some other animals, they killed eighty beeves, which
had been collected from the surrounding country,
and dug a well, by the mill dam, twenty -five feet
deep. On the strength of a tradition that, their
horses being too poor and weak to perform much
service, they had dropped into the well two of the
cannon taken from Gen. Greene, the well was
opened a few years ago, but nothing was found
except a few old chains and some other things of
no value. For their wounded officers they made a
kind of palanquin or travelling bed, by fastening a
bed quilt, or piece of canvass, of proper length and
breadth, to two poles, and then fastening the poles
to two horses with the bed between them. As the
poles were slender and yielding, it made a very easy
bed, but still, with that constant though gentle mo-
tion, must have been very irritating.

It would be a source of some amusement if we
knew all that passed in the Tory ranks and coun-
cils, after the Guilford battle, and all the little inci-
dents that occurred during the retreat of the British,
but with few exceptions, they have long since been

178 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

forgotten, and many, Ave suppose, were kept to them-
selves.

According to a tradition, which I am told is re-
liable, while the British were at, or not far from
Bell's mill, Colonel Washington went over on Back
creek, for the purpose, mainly, of suppressing or
overawing the Tories. When near the place now
known as the Widow Moss's, he met some thirty or
more Quakers, from Uwharie, Caraway, Back creek,
and other neighborhoods in that portion of Kan-
dolph county. The position which he or they occu-
pied being an elevated one, he descried them at a
considerable distance, and not feeling certain, per-
haps, of their character or intentions, he ordered
his men to retire a little from the road, where they
would be concealed by a thicket of bushes or under-
growth; but their broad-brimmed hats and drab-
colored clothes soon satisfied him that they were
Quakers, and he quietly awaited their approach.
On coming up, they saluted him in their usual style,
" Well, how does thee do to-day, friend?" and then
went on to ask a number of questions relative to
the business in hand. " Is thee an officer ?" " Does
thee belong to the army ?" " AVhere is friend Corn-
wallis ?" To each of which in succession, he kindly
and civilly replied — that he was an officer, and that
he belonged to the army ; that the army was at or
near Bell's mill, and that Cornwallis would soon be
along. These answers were rather equivocal ; but,
having no idea that an American officer would now
dare to show his face so near to the head-quarters of
Cornwallis, they took it for granted that he was an

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 179

officer iii the British army, and disclosed their in-
tentions without reserve or hesitation. They told
him that as Greene had been defeated and driven
from the country, or obliged to retreat into Bock-
ingham, the British arms were now completely
triumphant, and that they were going to pay their
respects to friend Cornwallis, and tell him that they
were a peace-loving, sober, quiet people, having no
enmity to him or the British government. Wash-
ington then informed them who he was, and assured
them that General Greene had not left the State, nor
had, in fact, been defeated, but would soon be along
in pursuit of Lord Cornwallis. With his usual
urbanity, he told them further, that they were not
acting in accordance with their religious faith or
avowed principles, and that they had better stay at
home and attend to their own business. He now
ordered his men to surround them ; and having
done so, some of them pointed out to him a man
among the Quakers, who was a noted Tory, and who
w r as known to have been guilty, not long before, of
robbery and murder. He did not, of course, belong
to the Quaker society ; but, whether by accident or
design, is not known, he had fallen in with them,
and was going along to pay his respects to Lord
Cornwallis, and acknowledge his submission to
British authority. Being satisfied of the facts,
Washington ordered two of his men to take him
and hang him to the limb of a large persimmon
tree which was near, and on which Hartwell Hun-
ter, my informant, says, had not long before been
hung by the Tories. This was at Beckerdite's

180 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

store, near the Widow "Wood's, where the tree is
yet standing.

When the Tory was swung off so unceremo-
niously, there were two of the Quakers sitting on
their horses, not far from the tree, and one said to
the other, " Well, don't that beat the devil ?"
Washington then marched the Quakers, half dead
with fear, to a barn which stood at a short distance,
where he made six of those who were most finely
dressed, and six of his own men whose regimentals
had become the most shabby looking, go into the
barn and exchange clothes from top to toe. When
they came out so completely metamorphosed, and
all, of both parties, making such a ludicrous appear-
ance, he ordered them to make a similar exchange
of horses, the Quakers giving their fine fat horses
in exchange for the lean, war-worn horses of the
others. At first, the Quakers objected most strenu-
ously to this whole proceeding, one alleging that
his horse was borrowed ; another, that his hat, or
some part of his dress did not belong to him; and
every one offering the most plausible reason he
could ; but it was all in vain. The Quakers had to
go off with their poor horses and their old tattered
cavalry dress ; and the cavalry men kept their fat
horses, their drab suits and their broad brims.
Before dismissing them, Washington gave them
another friendly talk, and advised them to go home
and stay there, attend to their own concerns in
future, and live up to their professions of peace and
good will to all men. The old Friend, my informant
says, who gave him the above account, or rather

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 181

confirmed, it, for it had long been a tradition in the
country, said he had often heard his father telling-
how he looked and felt when he returned to his
family, riding on a broken down cavalry horse instead
of the fine animal which he had taken from home,
and wearing an old greasy looking horseman's
cap and tattered regimentals, instead of his broad
brimmed beaver and his fine drab suit of broad
cloth. Before dismissing them, he laid his com-
mands on them to keep quiet and not make it
known that they had seen Col. Washington in
those parts, or it might not be as well for them.

I have been told that Jeremiah Yorke, and a man
by the name of Morgan, both of whom lived on or
near Deep River, were at this time, with "Washington,
and gave him the information about the Tory.
How they came to be with him I have not learned ;
but when the Quakers left, York, Morgan and several
others were perhaps on their return home, or on a
scout, when they fell in with some British, probably
stragglers or a small foraging party, and had a little
skirmish, in which Yorke was badly wounded, and
one or two of the British were killed ; but of this
affair I have no particulars, nor any very definite
information, and give it only as I heard it in the
country. If all such things had been recorded at
an early period, it would have been much more
satisfactory, and the Old North State would now
appear to much better advantage.

If Cornwallis crossed Deep river, he could do it
by either of two routes, by Bamsey's Mill, which is
the lowest mill on the river, and is now owned by
13

182 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

Austin Jones, or by Eigden's ford, about forty miles
above ; and, for two days, Gen. Greene was kept in
suspense. If he aimed for either of these points, the
British commander would push for the other. This
was good policy, if not his only possible chance to
escape ; for, if he had moved, at once, towards either
place, Gen. Greene would have overtaken him and
brought him to action, but in those two days he had
a rude bridge constructed over the river at Bam-
sey's, and got safely over. As soon as Greene knew
that they were in motion for Eamsey's, he com-
menced a hot pursuit; and so eager were the men to
succeed, that they seemed to forget the calls of na-
ture, and many of them fainted from exhaustion;
but they were a little too late ; for the enemy had
just got over and partially cut down the bridge,
when they arrived. When such a man as Tarleton,
makes any kind of concession, or acknowledges ap-
prehension on the part of the British, we may be sure
there was good ground for it ; and he gives the fol-
lowing graphic account of their progress from Bell's
to Eamsey's mill, and of the condition of the army
as unfit for action.

" The day before the king's troops arrived at Eam-
sey's the Americans insulted the Jagers in their en-
campment. The royalists remained a few days at
Eamsey's, for the benefit of the wounded, and to
complete a bridge over Deep river, when the light
troops of the Americans again disturbed the pick-
ets, and the army was ordered under arms. Be-
fore the end of the month, the British crossed the
river, and the same day General Greene reached

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 183

Kamsey's with an intention to attack them. The
halt of the king's troops at that place nearly occa-
sioned an action, which would not probably have
been advantageous to the royal forces, on account of
the badness of the position, and the disheartened
circumstances of their being encumbered with so
many wounded officers and men since the action at
Guilford."

During the short time that they lay at Ramse} 7 's
they were considerably annoyed by some Whigs in
the neighborhood. Cato Eiddle and his three or
four brothers, with a few of their neighbors, all of
whom had good rifles and were good marksmen,
ensconced themselves behind some rocks on the
other side, and when the British rode their horses
into the river to let them drink, these daring fel-
lows fired on them and killed several. Cornwallis,
tradition says, had to send his dragoons up the river
to a ford where they could cross and go down on
the other side, when they drove them away, but not
without some difficulty.

After making such an effort to overtake the
enemy, Gen. Greene and the whole army were
greatly disappointed to find that they were a little
too late. He had sent forward the light troops to
attack the British and keep them employed until
he came up; but by the vigilance of his scouts,
Cornwallis had been notified of their approach just
in time to get over the river. So close was the
pursuit, however, that some of his wounded which
died the night before had to be left unburied, and
he could not get the bridge entirely broken down.

184 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

Gen. Greene was the more mortified at this disap-
pointment because it was occasioned by the thought-
lesness and imprudence of his own men. When he-
commenced the pursuit from the Iron Works, for the
sake of expedition, he left his heavy baggage behind,
and on arriving at the Buffalo creek, such were his
prospects of overtaking the enemy that he ordered
an inspection of arms and amunition; but was sur-
prised to find that his irregular troops had bartered
away their powder and lead for something to eat or
drink. It was necessary then, before proceeding
any further, to send back an express for a supply of
these articles, which occasioned the loss of a day
and that day would have enabled him, with all
ease, to overtake his retreating foe ; but the All-
wise Being, whose kingdom rules over all, had an
ulterior object in view and it was all for the best.
He could not continue the pursuit, and for several
reasons. If he had undertaken to repair the bridge
for the army to cross, or had gone up to Eigdon's
ford, the enemy would have gained not less than
two days and would then have been beyond his
reach. The time of the militia, both the volunteers
and the drafted, had now expired and they demanded
their discharge. The time of the year had come for
putting in their crops and making provision for
their families, and no arguments or entreaties could
prevail on them to remain. This was a matter of
deep regret to the commander, but there was no
alternative. He was obliged to grant their request,
and then his number was again reduced below that
of the enemy. The country below the river afforded

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 185

very little sustenance for man or beast and that
little was consumed by the retreating army. As
the Tories were the most numerous they concealed
every thing of the kind ; and Gen. Greene could get
no certain intelligence about the progress of Corn-
wallis, or the condition of his army. In addition
to all this, his scouting and foraging parties were
waylaid and shot down by men who were concealed
in the swamps and other inaccessible places. For
all these reasons, he determined to carry out a plan
which seems to have been, for some time, revolving
in his mind, and which depended on the movements
of the enemy. It was to march into South Carolina ;
but to follow him there would be foreign from my
design in the present work.

The region of country along Deep river and below
it was now in a most deplorable condition ; for it was
rendered almost a scene of desolation by the exter-
minating warfare carried on between the Whigs and
Tories ; and the sufferings even of the British army
were enough to excite commiseration. From the
time the British entered the State the Whigs had
been persecuted, plundered and driven from their
houses. Many of them had been waylaid and shot
down, either in their own houses or along the road.
The retreat of Cornwallis and the advance of the
American army inspired them with fresh courage
and was the signal for their return.

Under such circumstances, a spirit of revenge was
manifested, which was natural perhaps, but much to
be regretted ; and Gen. Greene in his letters, re-
peatedly says, "If this carnage between Whig

186 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

and Tory is continued, this country must be de-
populated." For a year or two the men of both
parties, either lay concealed in the woods and
swamps, or were embodied for mutual protection.
This state of things furnished the loyalists with
strong inducements and many opportunities to annoy
the American army if it had attempted to pass
through the country, and might have been a serious
obstacle to its progress. The Whigs in that re-
gion were few in number; but they were active and
resolute, nor did they suffer the enemy to pass
altogether unmolested or unharmed. In a country
like ours, where the people are intelligent, united
and determined to be free, they cannot be subdued.
A foreign army may pass through the country and
conquer in every pitched battle, but they will be
waylaid and cut off in detail. Cato Eiddle and his
sharp-shooters, on the first day, tumbled several of
the Ked Coats off their horses and sent them drifting
down the stream. At night they went home, and
returned the next morning, when they occupied the
same position and not altogether in vain ; but their
success was now small for the enemy had learned to
keep away. The stratagem to capture them by
sending a troop of horsemen up the river to cross at
a ford and go down on the other side, was conducted
with so much secrecy and dispatch that it had well
nigh succeeded. In the afternoon, when on their
way home, walking along very leisurely, and not
dreaming of any danger, the dragoons came upon
them in a lane so suddenly that they had barely
time to get over the fence and take shelter in a large

THE BRITISH ARMY W XORTH CAROLINA. 187

plum orchard, the trees of which stood so thick
on the ground that it was impossible for horsemen
to ride through it. In this thicket they took their
stand, and altogether, determined, if need be, to sell
their lives as dearly as possible ; and the British
unable to approach them on horseback, remained for
some time on the outside, apparently much perplexed
and not knowing what to do. Not a rifle or a pistol
was fired, though they were only a few steps apart.
Thus they stood eyeing each other like two court-
yard bullies who wanted to fight but were doubtful
about the result ; the British feeling assured that if
they provoked such daring men by firing on them>
some of themselves would certainly be made the
victims of their deadly rifles ; and the rifle party
thinking that if, under existing circumstances, they
exasperated their adversaries by killing any of them,
the rest would become desperate by rushing upon them
when their guns were empty, and the consequence
might be fatal. At length they slowly, silently,
and, as if by mutual consent, receded from their
position and went away. It is said, however, that
some of the dragoons overtook a portion of this
party before they got home, but only to their own
loss. An officer who came upon William Brantly,
was about to kill him, and had his sword drawn for
the purpose, when Cato Eiddle, seeing his friend's
clanger and being only a few steps before, sprung
from his horse and shot the officer dead. The pur-
suit was then given up and the enemy returned to
their encampment.

The British had a number of prisoners who had

188 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

been taken at different points on the route ; but,
finding them an insupportable burden in their des-
titute and suffering condition, before crossing the
river, Cornwallis let them go, or, rather, gave them
such an opportunity to escape, that they deemed it
equivalent to an express permission.

When they were approaching Upper Little river,
the dragoons under Tarleton having been sent
forward, as usual, to scour the country, captured
Captain Peoples, Captain Daniel Buie, Duncan
Buie, old Jacob Gaster, John Small, and a man by
the name of Strodder. In " crowning" Duncan
Buie, they gave him a severe cut on the top of the
head, and a worse one, on the cheek bone, leaving
him for dead, but he recovered. Peoples made his
escape through the cracks of the " bull pen," or en-
closure in which they were kept. Daniel Buie died
on board the prison ship at Wilmington. Gaster,
Small, and Strodder, were taken to Wilmington,
and after a time, exchanged. At Monro's, on Lower
Little river, the bridge had been broken down by
the Whigs, to retard their progress; but they soon
got over, and took old Daniel Monro prisoner, and
his son Malcolm, who was attached to Capt. M'Cra-
nie's company, but happened now to be at home.
They were taken to Wilmington, and there paroled.
At Cross creek, they met with a kind reception from
their friends, but the resources of the country were
small. Tarleton and Stedman tell us that the set-
tlers upon Cross creek, notwithstanding all that
they had suffered from the British government,
" still retained a warm attachment to their mother

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 189

country," and showed " great zeal for the interest
of the royal army; that they brought in all the
spirits and provisions they could collect within a
convenient distance ;" and that " the sick and
wounded were plentifully supplied with useful and
comfortable refreshments." On this or some other
account, no great depredations were committed on
the property of the citizens. " They spoiled the
machinery in the mills," which probably belonged
to Whigs, " took out the irons, and stopped them
from grinding ;" but no person was put to death,
and no efforts were made to find out and punish
rebels. Their thoughts were more occupied in pro-
viding for their own safety, than in punishing trea-
son and maintaining the laws, and their stay was
necessarily short.

Stores of provisions for the American army had
been collected at Cross creek, but when General
Greene found that Cornwallis would go down on
that side of the river, he dispatched couriers to
General Lillington, who was stationed in that region
with a body of militia, to remove these stores, and
annoy them as much as possible. The removal of
the stores to a place where they were safe, or could
easily be protected, left the British army no re-
source, except the immediate neighborhood, and
that, especially after it had been so much ravaged,
could hardly afford one ration for fifteen hundred
or two thousand men. They were obliged to leave ;
but they could not descend the river in boats ; for
Lillington had destroyed or removed them all for a
number of miles; and there were many Whigs,

190 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

daring spirits and good riflemen, who would have
made a descent on the river, if the boats had been
at command, rather a hazardous business. Corn-
wallis says in his dispatch to Lord George Germain,
dated Wilmington, April 18, 1781 :

"From all my information I intended to have
halted at Cross creek, as a proper place to refresh
and refit the troops ; and I was much disappointed,
on my arrival there to find it totally impossible.
Provisions were scarce, not four days forage within
twenty miles, and to us the navigation of Cape Fear
river to Wilmington impraticable ; for the distance by
water is upwards of one hundred miles, the breadth
seldom above one hundred yards, the banks high,
and the inhabitants on each side generally hostile."

Immediately after telling us that they were so
liberally furnished with provisions, spirits, &c, by
the inhabitants of Cross creek and its vicinity,
Steel man says on the same page, " Upon the arrival
of the British commander at Cross creek, he found
himself disappointed in all his expectations. Pro-
visions were scarce, four days forage not to be
procured within twenty miles; and the commu-
nication expected to be opened between Cross
creek and Wilmington, by means of the river,
was found to be impracticable, the river itself
being narrow, its banks high, and the inhabitants
on both sides for a considerable distance inveterately
hostile. Nothing therefore now remained to be
done but to proceed with the army to Wilming-
ton, in the vicinity of which it arrived on the 17th
of April." ISTo attempt was made to impede their

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 191

progress or to harass them on their march, but they
had some proof of a hostile disposition on the part
of the inhabitants. At Mrs. Cain's some miles
above Wilmington, where Capt. Peoples made his
escape, when a British officer rode down to the edge
of the river, an American shot at him from the
opposite bank, and broke his thigh.

On their way to Wilmington, and while there,
besides many of the rank and file, they buried
several of their valuable officers, who died of their
wounds, and others had to be left on account of im-
paired health. Col. Webster died on the way, and
was buried a little below Elizabethtown. Wilson
Webster, Lieut.-Colonel in the British army, was a
Scotchman, and the son of a Presbyterian clergy-
man, the Rev. Dr. Webster, of Edinbugh. Intelli-
gent, brave, courteous in his address, gentlemanly
in his bearing, and of high professional attainments,
no officer in the army was more beloved by the
soldiers, and Cornwallis turned away sad and sorrow-
ing from his grave. Americans of all parties respect
the place where his ashes repose ; but to the reproach
of his ungrateful country, not even a rude stone
marks the place of his interment. A few years ago
some gentlemen in the neighborhood, undertook to
find the place, and ascertain in what condition were
his remains. For this purpose they topk with them
* an old negro, who, it was supposed, might serve as
a guide ; and on reaching the grove, after looking
round a few moments, he pointed out the precise
spot. One of the gentlemen stuck the point of his
cane in the ground, and, discovering that it readily

192 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

gave way, ordered a servant to take a spade and
cautiously remove the earth. He did so, and it
was discovered to be a grave. They continued the
operation, and soon came on what appeared to be
the body of a soldier. It seemed to be perfect, and
the ornament on the cap was entire. All gazed in
mute silence on the spectacle, and were surprised to
see how little change had been made in half a
century ; but the illusion was soon at an end ; for
the corpse at first so life-like in appearance, on
being exposed to the atmosphere, soon crumbled
into dust. They filled up the grave again, and
retired with a feeling of regret that they had dis-
turbed the ashes of the dead.

In Wilmington, according to Tarleton and Sted-
man, Cornwallis learned to his sorrow that Gen.
Greene had turned his course from Eamsey's Mill to
South Carolina, and was pushing forward to attack
the British post at Cambden. This intelligence
rendered his lordship's situation more embarrassing
than ever, "and left him only a choice of difficulties
none of which were unaccompanied with hazard,
nor easy to be surmounted ;" for if Greene succeeded
in capturing or driving away their garrisons, which
he must do unless they could be reinforced, all his
past toils and conquests would be in vain and the
whole southern country be lost to the British
government. His adversary had got such a start of
him that he could not possibly reach Cambden in
time to give Lord Rawden any assistance, and then
he might get so hemmed up between the rivers, by
the Americans, that he would be forced to surrender.

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 193

A march through the country to Cambden, if not
impracticable, was so difficult and perilous that a
commander of his sagacity and in his crippled con-
dition would not attempt it ; and to transport his
army by water to Charleston was deemed too dis-
graceful . But, apart from the disgrace, the delay
which it must occasion would render the measure
useless ; and he seemed to be surrounded with dif-
ficulties almost insurmountable. Yet something
must be done ; for to remain there would be useless,
and as the sickly season was coming on, the rem-
nant of his army would be still further reduced by
disease. As Gen. Greene had gone south, and there
was no force in this State to impede his progress,
the way was open into eastern Virginia where Gen.
Phillips commanded a respectable force, and, wisely
or unwisely he determined to march northward.
Such were the reasons assigned ; but probably this
course was adopted more as a prudential measure
for his own safety than anything else. Stedman
says, that he was not without hope that by menacing
so large and powerful a State as Virginia, he might
draw Gen. Greene from the south ; but he had already
learned, by experience, too much of Gen. Greene's
sagacity and firmness to think that he could be thus
duped or turned from his purpose. More likely it
was only a pretext to satisfy some of his officers who
were for pushing into South Carolina to relieve Lord
Rawden, and that he could find safety and maintain
his credit in no other way. Tarleton, rather harshly
perhaps, censures his lordship for this measure, and
Stedman as sharply reproves Tarleton for his in-

194 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

I

gratitude and insolence. With their censures and
reproofs we have nothing to do; but Cornwallis
could hardly have taken a course which would more
effectually subserve the American cause and insure
his own ruin.

It appears that Gov. Martin was with the British
army in all its southern campaigns and present at
all the battles fought. He is mentioned particularly
as having been at the battles of Cambden and Mar-
tinville in which he took a deep interest and seemed
to become young again. From an expression in
Cornwallis' despatch from Wilmington to Lord
George Germain, we would infer that he embarked
at that port for England ; but it is not certain. Some
say he went with the army into Virginia and sailed
from Norfolk. Others say he went north; but I
have seen nothing that could be regarded as deci-
ding the question.

Cornwallis reached Wilmington on the 17th of
April, and while he had his head-quarters in town,
the army was encamped in the immediate vicinity.
He left on the 25th, I believe, and about the mid-
dle of May entered Virginia. They met with no
serious opposition on their march across the eastern
end of the State, but were, all the time, under
apprehensions of an attack, and were harassed occa-
sionally by individuals who would lie in ambush
about the swamps and shoot down stragglers, or by
small parties of Whigs who would attack their fora-
ging parties and diminish their number. Tarleton,
with about a thousand men, quartered himself for a
day and a night on the plantation of Col. Slocum,

THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH CAROLINA. 195

lie himself, with, his principal officers, occupying the
house while the army was encamped in the orchard,
some two or three hundred yards distant. Mrs.
Elliot, in her book entitled The Women of the
Kevolution, gives an entertaining account of what
passed between Col. Tarleton and the courageous
and ready-witted Mrs. Slocum, when he took posses-
sion of the house ; and also of a daring feat of her
husband, Col. Slocum, and a few of his neighbors.
Soon after arriving at the place, Tarleton sent out a
Tory captain with his company of Tories to scour
the country for two or three miles round, and, while
thus engaged, Col. Slocum with his little Whig band
came upon them. A terrible onslaught followed,
and half the Tories were killed or wounded. The
Captain was wounded and fled with four or five of
his men towards head-quarters; and the Colonel,
with about the same number of his Whigs, went in
hot pursuit. So great was their eagerness to kill
the Captain or take him prisoner that they were in
the midst of a thousand British, most of them
mounted, before they thought of any danger, or
were even aware that the enemy were on the planta-
tion, but by great presence of mind and an act of
most daring courage, they dashed through and made
their escape. Col. Slocum, with a few intrepid and
patriotic men like himself, hung on the rear of the
British army, cutting off stragglers and sometimes
attacking their foraging parties all the way into
Virginia, when they made their way to Yorktown
and were present at the surrender.

Soon after leaving North Carolina, Cornwallis

196 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

formed a junction with Gen. Phillips at Petersburg,
or with his army after his death, and took command
of the whole. Thence, after meeting with some
opposition from Lafayette and others, he reached
Yorktown and there, after enduring a siege of a few
weeks, he surrendered his whole army, on the 19th
of October, 1781, to the French and American
forces under the command of General Washington.

PART II.

THE HON. JESSE FEANKLIN,

LATE GOVERNOR OF NORTH CAROLINA.

While the public have been manifesting, for a
few years past, such a strong and growing desire
to know all about the revolutionary history, and
after so many efforts have been made to ascertain
the facts, and to perpetuate the memory of our
patriotic ancestors, or such of them as became, in
any way, prominent during that eventful period, it is
a matter of some surprise to me that even the name
of Gov. Franklin has hardly been noticed ; and I de-
termined to make some inquiry into his character
and revolutionary services. For this purpose, hav-
ing no other acquaintance in Surry county where
he resided, I requested Kobert S. Gilmer, Esq.
formerly of Guilford, but now a citizen of Mount
Airy, to procure for me such revolutionary incidents
of that region as were supposed to be reliable, and
especially to get, if possible, a sketch, or the facts
for a sketch, of Gov. Franklin. Not having time
for such matters himself, he laid my request before
14

198 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

J. F. Graves, Esq., who is a young lawyer residing
at Mount Airy, and a grandson of Gov. Franklin.
With much promptness and courtesy, he sent me,
in a short time, the following communication, which,
though short, and manifestly written without any
disposition to exaggerate or color the facts, we have
no doubt, will be read with a lively interest, and
for which he has my warmest acknowledgments.
His object was, not to write a sketch for publication,
but merely to furnish the facts, and let me make my
own use of them ; but, as I did not think that by
rewriting and remodelling, I could improve the
style, and as he gave me, in a subsequent letter,
permission to use the communication in whatever
way I thought proper, I have given it entire, and
in his own language.

"Dear Sir, — Robt. S. Gilmer having requested
me to furnish you with such information as I may
be able to gather in relation to occurrences during
the revolutionary war, and the persons engaged on
either side in this portion of country, I submit to
you the following pages. Many of the facts rest on
tradition only ; for no one in this region, seems ever
to have taken any pains to preserve any historical
account of the transactions of those troublesome
times.

" The principal Whig families in the western and
north-western part of Surry county, were the Frank-
lins, Cunninghams, McCraws, Toliaferos, Thomp-
sons, Underwoods and Williams. Much the greater
part of the population was, at that time, of the
Tory party ; bat, the distinction having been kept

THE HON". JESSE FRANKLIN. 199

up after the close of the war many of the Tory,
families moved from the county so that few of the
old stock remained. The Franklins were among
the most couspicuous among the Whig families of
that day. I have no means of tracing their remote
ancestry except from the traditions among them ;
and from those it appears that they were of English
origin. It is not known at what time precisely
they came to this country ; but they came over to
Virginia in the early settlement of that colony.

" Bernard and Mary Franklin, the parents of Jesse,
were residing in Orange County, Yirginia, at the
commencement of the revolutionary war. Jesse,
who was the third of seven sons, was born on the
24th of March, 1760. I have no incidents to relate
of his boyish days ; for, if he manifested any pre-
cociousness of genius, his sturdy father did not
observe it or find means to foster it. He was sent
to school when young, until he acquired the rudi-
ments of an English education ; but before he was
twelve years old he was forced to quit, and circum-
stances never permitted him to resume his studies
afterwards. I think he never studied any other
language than the English, though I find a Latin
motto in several of his old books which are in my
possession. Not very long after the Declaration
of Independence, I think from the best information
I can gather, in 1777, he, being about seventeen
years of age, first entered the army as a volunteer
and served some time, but I have never been able
to ascertain how long. After his term of service
expired, he returned to his father's where he re-

200 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

mairted a short time. His father had, just previous
to the breaking out of the war, made his arrange-
ments to remove to the north-western part of North
Carolina, which was then almost entirely unsettled.

" The two elder brothers, Jeremiah and Bernard,
determined to remain in Virginia. Jesse, being
still under his father's control was sent out to make
a selection of lands, and to prepare a house and
provisions for the family, which was to follow on in
the succeeding fall. Going beyond the settlements,
and passing through the 'Hollows,' he selected a
small though beautiful valley on the head waters
of Mitchell's river in Surry county, as the future
home of his father. This little valley is surrounded
on three sides by mountains; Mitchell's river, a
crystal stream, at that ime abounding in trout,
running through it. The coves of the mountains
were covered with pea vines, which afforded the
best pasturage for horses and cattle, and chestnuts
and acorns supplied the hogs instead of grain.
Game of all kinds abounded. Deer and turkey
were very plenty, and bears and wolves were
neither few nor shy. Some time in the fall of
the year, Bernard UranklinJ with the rest of his
family consisting of four sons and two daughters,
the oldest of the children with him not being more
than fifteen years of age, arrived at the log cabins
prepared for their reception.

" At that time the British forces having overrun
South Carolina, and being on their way into North
Carolina, the Tories, united in predatory bands,
were ravaging the country and plundering the

THE HON. JESSE FRANKLIN. 201

Whig families of every valuable thing upon which
they could lay their hands.

" So troublesome and dangerous had they become
that the prominent Whigs were driven to the ne-
cessity of building a fort on a hill near the town of
Wilkesboro', in which they secured themselves
when not actively engaged. Jesse Franklin joined
Col. Benjamin Cleveland, his maternal uncle in his
efforts to drive the Tories out of the county, or to
restrain them from their predatory habits. Of Col.
Cleveland's character as a partizan leader, the coun-
try is full of traditions, and his severity to the
Tories who fell into his hands, is proverbial. Per-
haps a few incidents that occurred to Bernard
Franklin and his family, about this time, may some-
what illustrate the manner in which the Tory war-
fare was carried on. Choosing a time when they
knew Jesse Franklin was from home, for they feared
him, a band of Tories surrounded the house of his
father and, while some kept watch on the outside,
six or seven of them went in to search for plunder.
The cautious Mrs. Franklin had previously put all
her best bed clothes and table linen into a large box
and buried it in the garden, and had potato hills
made over it and planted, in order more effectually
to conceal the place where it was hidden. Those
articles were then secure; but how to save the
money and other valuables now became the ques-
tion. There was an old maiden lady livingin the
family, called Aunt Betty Wells, who possessed
more than ordinary sagacity and self control. While
the Tories were preparing to enter the house, she

202 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

went to the desk and took the gold and silver out
of the drawer, where it was usually kept, and put it
into a long stocking which she had just finished,
and sat down on the chair, placing the stocking of
specie on her lap under her apron. When the
band entered, they found her very composedly knit-
ting away as if nothing unusual was taking place.
They soon commenced rummaging in the drawers
of the desk, and in the chests, in search of the money
which was concealed beneath old Aunt Betty's apron.
During their stay in the house, she kept up a con-
versation with them continually, fearing they would
suspect her and force her to give up her treasure.
They finally left, however, without molesting her.
The hidden box in the garden and the money was
nearly all of their property that was now left. I
have often seen a French crown in the possession
of Mrs. Mary Graves, daughter of Jesse Franklin,
now living at Mount Airy, which was saved in old
Aunt Betty Wells' stocking. Not long after that
occurrence the same party with some others, came
to Bernard Franklin's again in search of his negroes
who had escaped them on their previous visit. An
unarmed man surrounded by a large party of ruf-
fianly robbers, has sometimes to submit to very rude
treatment. On this occasion Mr. Franklin happened
to have a new hat to which one of the Tories took
a fancy and, wishing to gratify his vanity, he snatdied
the new hat from his head and suddenly clapped his
own old slouch on his head in its stead. Mr. Frank-
lin's indignation was irrepressible and, dashing the
old hat on the ground, he stamped it exclaiming,

THE HON. JESSE FRANKLIN. 203

' I wish it was the heart of every Tory in the land.'
The negroes which were carried off, all escaped from
the Tories and returned in a few weeks to their
kind master.

"About this time, in the fall of 1780, Colonels
Cleveland, Shelby and Sevier, having heard of Col.
Ferguson's position at King's Mountain, determined
to attack him there. Jesse Franklin who had been
with Colonel Cleveland in many of his little skir-
mishes with the Tory bands that so infested the up
country, was acting as Adjutant to his battalion at
that time. The British forces, as you recollect,
occupied the top of the mountain. The attack was
made on three sides simultaneously by the Ameri-
can troops, each one of the Colonels commanding a
division. After firing a few rounds the smoke ob-
scured the British troops, and the Americans unable
to see, faltered. At that critical moment, Jesse
Franklin rode up in advance of the line and per-
ceiving the situation of the foe, confused by the
smoke and shooting above the heads of the assail-
ants, he encouraged the troops to make another
effort, assuring them the victory would be theirs if
the advantage they possessed was improved. Fol-
lowing him, they advanced until within good range
of the enemy's line and then fired. In that moment
Col. Ferguson fell and confusion ensued. Captain
Eyarson, being the next highest officer assumed
the command, but all his efforts to restore order
were unavailing. Surrounded and exposed to a fire
which they could not return, they soon surrendered-
Captain Eyarson delivered up his sword to Jesse

204 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

Franklin, saying to him, ' You deserve it, sir.' This
is Franklin's own account of it corroborated by
many others. The writer has it from General S.
Graves who received it from John Boyd, an old
soldier and eye-witness to the delivery of the sword.
The sword was, for a longtime, preserved as a relic;
but a party of gentlemen, on one occasion, in testing
the temper of the metal, broke it into fragments.
The pieces were made into knee and shoe buckles,
and were preserved by the different members of the
family. The hilt is still preserved and is at present
in the care of Mr. Ambrose Johnson, of Wilkes
county.

"After the battle of King's Mountain, Jesse Franklin
seems not to have done much until the succeeding
spring. Then hearing that Gen. Greene, on his
retreat before Cornwallis, had come into the north-
ern counties, he set off to join the army as a volun-
teer. It must have been about this time that he
was sent on an express to the Whig fort at Wilkes-
boro'; but his family do not seem to remember from
what point he started. The country was infested
with foraging parties and Tory bands, and it required
all his vigilance and daring to get through in safety.
The incidents of his trip are scarcely worth relating ;
but as it may a little more fully illustrate the state
of affairs in the country, I will give you such as I
remember. Having ridden all night long, he
reached Salem early in the morning, his horse ex-
hausted, and himself weary and hungry.

" Everybody knows that, with few exceptions, the
inhabitants of Salem were all royalists. Charles

THE HON. JESSE FRANKLIN. 205

Baggy was the only exception that I have ever
heard of. Going to him on his arrival, he asked
him for a fresh horse and something to eat. "I
dare not furnish you with anything, for the people
around me are Tories. There is meat in the cup-
board and a horse in the stable. Exchange is no
robbery." Permission having been thus impliedly
given, he helped himself to a hearty breakfast and
went to the stable, took out a fine horse, leaving his
own instead of it, and hastened on to Wilkesboro'.
On his arrival at the fort, he ascertained that the
Whig families on Mitchell's river, in his father's
neighborhood, were entirely destitute of salt. He
was to return to the army, and as it was very little
out of his way, he determined to go by his father's
and carry a little salt to distribute among his friends
to serve them until supplies could be obtained in
some other way. He set out from Wilkesboro' on
a young horse not yet bridle-wise ; and, in order to
avoid the Tories, who were constantly on the lookout
for him, he made his way along the mountains
entirely out of all the settlements. He met with no
mishaps until late in the evening, as he was getting
near home, when he was suddenly surprised by a
party of Tories who had been lurking round his
father's premises seeking to ensnare him for a long
time. Surrounded by rifles, he was compelled to
yield himself into their hands. They soon dis-
mounted him and tied his hands behind his back.
In this condition, they replaced him on his horse,
and having stacked their guns beside a large white-
oak tree, they led his horse under the pendant

206 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

boughs of a dogwood, and taking the bridle off his
horse, tied it round his neck and drew the reins
tightly over the limbs above his head. In this
situation they commanded him to take the oath of
allegiance. Although nearly strangled, he refused
to obey them. Almost maddened by his refusal,
they loosed the horse, thinking it would run off and
leave him suspended by the neck. The horse, how-
ever, stood perfectly still, until one of them seized a
brush to strike it, and just at that critical moment,
the bridle broke and he dropped into the saddle, as
the horse bounded away at full speed. The woods
was clear of brush or undergrowth, and the horse so
fleet, that before they could get their rifles ready he
was beyond their aim, but he heard the bullets
whistle over his head as he flew. His escape seems
almost Providential, and so he always regarded it.
He spent that night at his father's house, in the hay-
loft, and the next day he set off with a young man,
named Toliafero, for General Greene's army. They
arrived at the army, and joined the volunteers a very
short time before the battle of Guilford Court-
House. I have not been able to ascertain under
whom he acted at the battle ; but under whomso-
ever he served, he was one among the last to leave
the field. He and Toliafero had taken their horses
with them to the army, but on the day of battle,
they served with the infantry and tied their horses
a little off from the field. When the retreat com-
menced, they were hotly pursued by a squadron of
British horsemen. They got to where their horses
were tied, and Toliafero attempted to untie his, but

THE HON. JESSE FRANKLIX. 207

just as he was mounting he was struck down with
a sword. Franklin cut his reins and vaulted into
his saddle just as a horseman struck so near him
that he felt the wind of the sword as it passed his
cheek. He escaped, and Toliafero's horse came
along with him. He afterwards went back and
buried his friend, and brought his gun and car-
tridge-box to his family. I have been told that the
gun and accoutrements are still preserved. These
are about all the facts I can gather in relation to
Jesse Franklin's services in the war, except some
few unimportant acts in his partizan warfare against
the Tories."

From the narrative of Gen. Graham, lately pub-
lished in the University Magazine, it appears that
he was with the North Carolina militia under Gen.
Pickens, before the British left Hillsboro', and he
probably continued with him until the battle ; or,
he might have been sent on his mission to the Fort
at Wilksboro', after the corps to which he be-
longed had joined the main army under Gen. Greene.
He is casually mentioned as having been sent out
one evening with a little scouting party and is called
Captain Franklin ; but whether he held the rank of
Captain by regular appointment, and had a company
of men, or was, like Major Lewis, merely serving as
a volunteer and without any command, does not ap-
pear. As he is mentioned only once, and after Col.
Preston had joined Pickens, near Haw river, it is
probable that he had attached himself to Preston's
corps ; but this is only a conjecture.

" As to his civil services, you can easily ascertain

208 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

them by reference to the public records, I have not
the proper references to ascertain dates correctly, or
I would try to give you a full account of his services
in the civil department. He was elected to the legis-
lature from this county while he was quite young.
As illustrative of his independence and republican
simplicity, it is related that, during the first session
of his services in that capacity, at Hillsboro', he
was under the necessity of having some new shirts
made ; and the seamstress, whom he had employed,
having made them with ruffles and frills, according
to the fashion of the day, when he came to put them
on, he thought the ruffles did not become the repre-
sentative of so plain a people as his constituents, and
so he cut them all off with his knife before wearing
them.

"Such was his uniform and well known integrity,
the soundness of his judgment on all the questions
which then so deeply agitated the public mind, the
purity of his life and his high toned patriotism,
that he was not permitted to enjoy, without inter-
ruption, the comforts of his rural home and the
society of those whom he loved most dearly. Fond
of retirement and happy in his domestic relations,
he neither sought nor desired promotion ; but with
his kindness of heart and his patriotic devotion, he
could not refuse when his country called for his
services. In 1794 he was elected a member of the
House of Commons and again in 1797. In 1795 he
was elected a member of Congress and served two
years, In 1799 he was elected Senator in Congress
and served until 1805. In 1805 and 1806 he was

THE HON. JESSE FRANKLIN. 209

Senator from Surry, and was again elected to the
Senate of the United States, where he served,
Wheeler says, until 1813, but his grandson, J. F.
Graves, Esq., of Mount Airy, says he served until
1819. In 1820 he was elected Governor and filled
the Executive chair in 1821 ; but his failing health
induced him to decline a re-election. While in Con-
gress, he was on a great many important committees
and this shows the estimate made of his competency
and trustworthiness in the legislative assemblies of
the nation. He was on the committee appointed in
the case of John Smith, a Senator from Ohio, who
was implicated with Aaron Burr; and also, on a
committee on the ordinance of 1787. He was a
warm advocate for the war of 1812 ; and opposed
the re-chartering of the United States Bank. At
the expiration of his second term he declined a re-
election and hoped to spend the remainder of his
days in retirement ; but he was, soon after, appointed
a commissioner with Gen. Jackson and Gen. Meri-
weather, to treat with the Southern Indians, who
made a treaty with the Chickasaws on the Bluffs,
where the city of Memphis now stands. After that
duty was performed, he filled the Executive chair,
as stated above, in 1821, and died in 1824, in the
64th year of his age. He is said to have been a
grave, dignified-looking man, and rather above the
medium size. He is, also, said to have been a good
speaker ; but his greatest reputation seems to have
been for sound judgment, good, hard common sense.
" His opinions were sought after by the prominent
men of that day on all the important questions of

210 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

national interest ; and his grandson, J. F. Graves,
Esq., informs me that he has read many of the
letters written by distinguished men of that day,
asking for his opinion; but many of these, with
his answers, owing to separations in the family,
and removal of its members, have either been lost,
or taken beyond our reach. I have now before me
copies of four letters addressed to him. One by
Gen. Steele, dated Salisbury, February 20th, 1796 ;
one from Richard Dobbs Spaight, dated Kewberne,
March 5th, 1802 ; one from Abraham Baldwin,
dated Washington, March 3d, 1803 ; and one from
David Stone, dated Washington, July 4th, 1813 ;
all of which are interesting ; but as I have not his
answers, it is not necessary to publish them. His
message to the legislature, when Governor, is now
before me, and is dated Ealeigh, Nov. 20th, 1821.
The, condition of the country, and the sentiments
of the community at large, in regard to legislative
measures for the improvement and welfare of the
State, neither required nor admitted any thing of
special interest to us ; but it bears throughout the
impress of that sound practical common sense
which characterized his whole life. He recognizes
the vast importance of the Union, and urges upon
all the necessity of cherishing that enlightened
spirit of compromise in which it was formed. He
adverted to the pressure in the monetary affairs of
the country, but ascribed it principally to over-
trading, and recommended no other measures for
relief than general economy, and less of that
excessive speculation, which he regarded as the

THE HON. JESSE FRANKLIN. 211

main cause of the distress. The Supreme Court
he regarded as of great importance, but doubted
whether the mode prescribed by the law for
appointing a "missive Judge," was strictly con-
stitutional ; and with one or two minor alterations
in the judiciary system, he suggested the propriety
of authorising the superior Courts of law, when
sitting as Courts of Equity, to send up to the
Supreme Court certain causes at their discretion,
as well as upon the affidavits of the parties litigant.
He recommended that the Superior Courts should
be separated from the Courts of Equity, for which
he gave some very plausible common sense reasons,
but suggested no material alterations in the County
Courts, which he considered as well adapted to
the wants of a free country. In regard to the
criminal code, he proposed that the punishment
of cropping should be commuted for something
else, as a barbarous punishment, and as placing
the subject of it beyond the hope of reform, which
should always be the object where life was spared.
He recommended in strong terms the organization
of the militia, as the only safe reliance for the
defence of the country ; and notwithstanding
the deep discouragements which rested upon the
public mind, occasioned by previous failures, and
misapplication of funds, he recommended a prudent,
steady and progressive system of internal improve-
ments."

Such a man's deeds are his best monument, and
should not be forgotten. Throughout the whole of
his long and consistent life, he appears to have

212 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

been one of the most judicious, upright and
patriotic men of his day, and a country should
always give honor to whom honor is due.

Legislative Enactments against the Tories.

The civil war may be considered as having fairly
commenced with the battle on Mooris creek ; and
it continued with more or less violence until inde-
pendence was obtained. Some eighteen months or
more previous to the Declaration, the people of
North Carolina, as is well known, in common with
those of the other Colonies, had resolved to resist
the oppressions of the mother country, though they
were not yet prepared to declare themselves inde-
pendent ; and they adopted such measures for carry-
ing their resolutions into effect as their circumstances
seemed to require. The constituted authorities,
conventions and congresses, the members of which
had been appointed by a vote of the people, and
clothed with ample power for all the purposes of
their appointment, passed strong resolutions at
almost every meeting against those who should, in
any way, or by any means, favor the cause of Great
Britain ; but nothing more was done, because noth-
ing more was then necessary. The movements of
the Tory army, however, and the battle on Morris
creek taught them that their domestic enemies were
more numerous than they had supposed, and
that some stronger measures than arguments and
" Kesolves" must be adopted. It was now mani-

ENACTMENTS AGAINST TORIES. 213

fest that nothing but the most determined and
energetic course could be of any avail, and they
were sufficiently encouraged by the results of the
battle to take such a course ; nor does it appear
that any reluctance or hesitancy in meeting their
responsibilities, and the exigencies of the country,
was manifested by any of these bodies. Accordingly,
the Provincial Congress, which met at Halifax,
April 4th, 1776, a few weeks after the battle at
Moore's creek, passed, on the 13th of May, the fol-
lowing Resolution, which, for the satisfaction of our
readers, or many of them, we copy from the journal.

" Resolved^ That any person, inhabitant of this
colony, who shall hereafter take arms against
America within the said colony, or shall give intel-
ligence, or aid to the enemies thereof, and shall be
convicted of the facts by vote of Congress, or by
any judicial power, hereafter to be appointed, shall
forfeit all his goods and chattels, lands and tene-
ments, to the people of said colony, to be disposed
of by the Congress, or other general representation
thereof; and moreover be considered (when taken)
as a prisoner of war, unless the sentence shall be
mitigated, or pardoned by the Congress, or other
general representation."

This resolution sufficiently shows the spirit of the
men who composed that body; but very few, if
any, confiscations, we imagine, actually took place,
until the State Constitution was adopted, and the
machinery of civil government was put into more
vigorous and complete operation. Like the prime
movers in the reformation from Popery, the patriots
15

214 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS.

of the day were carried much further by circum-
stances than they had first intended, and were as
much indebted to Providence, as to their own wis-
dom and valor, for the success which crowned their
efforts, and the constitutional freedom which they
established.

It was soon found that the great principles of
liberty and of individual rights must be embodied
in a written constitution which would unite and
bind together the entire community and in which
these fundamental principles should be clearly de-
fined. Such a constitution was adopted by the
convention which met in Halifax, November 12th,
1776, and among the objects which first claimed
their attention was the disaffected portion of the
community, or those who, from whatever motives
were opposed to the independence of the country ;
for if anything was done to suppress them by force
of arms, or to punish them for the resistance already
made, reason and humanity, as well as a "decent
respect for the opinions of mankind," required that
it should be done in conformity with established
laws, and by the authority of those who were duly
invested with executive powers. This congress had
much of its time occupied in disposing of the priso-
ners taken at Moore's creek, and in adopting some
further regulations for the suppression of the loyal-
ists ; but more authoritative enactments belonged to
future meetings of the constitutional assembly.

The above extract contains the substance of all
the legislation on this subject, but the reader will
find in the Appendix, an Act of the first legislature ;

TOEIES IN DISGUISE. 215

that met under the constitution ; and it is given at
the request of some highly respected friends in
the Scotch region. To the educated and literary men
of the country these things may be familiar ; but
they are not so to the community at large. In some
parts of the country, there appears to be, even to
this day, considerable misapprehension in regard to
the treatment of the Tories, and it is, therefore, desi-
rable that all the facts should be distinctly known.

Tories in Disguise.

The British government had violated the char-
tered rights on which the colonies were formed ;
they had, in some instances, even taken away or
revoked our charters; thus throwing us out of their
protection, and had then sent their armies to enforce
these arbitrary measures. The people had formed
a government for themselves as they had a right
to do under these circumstances, and had resolved
to stand up in their own defence. If a minority
thought proper, or felt in conscience bound to op-
pose this government, they could do so, but they
must take the consequences. If the people of this
land, after the treatment they had received and the
extremity to which they had been reduced by the
mother country, had a right to establish a free and
independent government for themselves, they cer-
tainly had a right to adopt whatever measures were
necessary to maintain it. According to all the pre-
cedents set by civilized nations, they had a right to
define treason against the State, and to make that

216 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

treason, when in the first degree, punishable by
death. They had a right to confiscate the pro-
perty of traitors and to banish all dangerous or
suspected persons from the country. The British,
when they got possession of South Carolina and
whenever they had the country under their control,
hung or executed some, banished others and con-
fiscated their property. Without such a power no
civil government can be maintained ; and whatever
hardships may attend it, the power must be exerted
to the full extent when it becomes necessary.

They had some professed friends but enemies at
heart, who were more dangerous than any others,
and required their utmost vigilance. To guard
against impositions of this kind as much as possible,
all who were put in trust of any kind were, at first,
required to take an oath that they would be true to
the country ; and the Provincial Congress drew up a
test which had to be signed by all the members of
that body, and every one who held any ofhce either
civil or military. Some refused to subscribe the
test, or sign the association, and were thus made to
stand forth in their true character. Of this number,
Thomas McNight, a member of the congress from
Currituck county was one ; and there were others in
different departments. Sometimes when detected,
they confessed their fault and promised fidelity for
the future. John Coulson, the same probably who
afterwards, in the fall of 1780, headed an embodi-
ment of Tories on the Pedee, for the purpose of join-
ing the British at Cheraw, lived in Anson county,
and was a man of great influence in that region.

TORIES IK DISGUISE. 217

When it became known that he was taking an active
part against the independence of his country, he was
brought to the bar of the house and required to make
confession, or be sent to prison. The Congress met
at Hillsboro', August 20, 1775; and on the fol-
lowing day appointed a committee to enquire into
and report on his case. Next morning the commit-
tee reported the following, which we copy from
Jones' Defence, as the confession and promise which
he should be required to subscribe: —

" I, John Coulson, do from the fullest conviction
solemnly and sincerely declare, that I have been
pursuing measures destructive of the liberties of
America in general, and highly injurious to the
peace of this colony ; and, truly conscious of the
heniousness of my guilt, do now publicly confess the
same, and do solemnly and sincerely promise, that I
will for the future support and defend, to the utmost
of my power, the constitutional rights and liberties
of America ; and, in order to make atonement for my
past guilt, that I will make use of every effort in my
power to reclaim those persons whom I have seduced
from their duty, and also induce all other persons
over whom I have influence to aid, support, and de-
fend the just rights of America. In witness whereof,
I have hereunto set my hand this the 22d day of
August, 1775."

"John Coulson."

There were many others of a similar kind; but
this may serve as a specimen of the whole. At
this period, when very few were prepared for a final
separation from Great Britain, and when the two

218 RE VOLUTION AKY INCIDENTS.

parties had not yet become embittered at each other,
some such cases were to be expected, and required
both firmness and prudence on the part of the civil
authorities.

We are on our guard against an avowed enemy,
and can even respect him if he is honorable in his
bearing ; but " a spy in the camp" is always an
odious as well as a dangerous character ; and when-
ever such have been detected, no matter in what
cause or under what circumstances, they have been
dealt with by a summary process, and without
much commiseration. Farquard Campbell and
Thomas Rutherford, of Cumberland, were both
gentlemen of wealth, intelligence and high standing
in their own county, who managed to keep their
place in the counsels of the State until the adoption
of the Constitution, and yet were all the time hold-
ing correspondence with the enemy. Whether this
was done of their own accord, or by the suggestion
of Governor Martin, is not known ; but they had
adroitness enough to play a false game for two
years without detection, or without doing anything
by which the fact could be proved. Governor
Swaim says, " They were members of the first
provincial convention, which met at Newberne, on
the 25th of August, 1774, and appointed William
Hooper, Joseph Hews and Richard Caswell dele-
gates to the first Continental Congress. They were
members of the second Provincial Convention
which met at the same place. On the 3d of April,
1775, they both signed the article of American
Association, and united in the vote denouncing the

TOKIES IN DISGUISE. 219

equivocal conduct of Thomas McMght, a member
from Currietuck, in withholding his signature, and
in holding him up " as the proper object of con-
tempt to this continent." They were members of
the first Provincial Congress in August, 1775, at
Hillsboro', and of the second, which met at Halifax,
4th April, 1776. On the 12th of that month, they
voted for the Resolution instructing our delegates
in the Continental Congress, to declare indepen-
dence. Before the meeting of the third Provincial
Congress, they were both in confinement at Hali-
fax, as prisoners of war." Campbell, who was evi-
dently the shrewder and more prominent one of the
two, appears to have been a man who could keep
his countenance under all circumstances, and had a
great tact for joking or bantering off' any charge
that was brought against him. When the Congress
met in Hillsboro', April 4, 1776, the House was
surprised by receiving a letter from Mr. Biggleston,
the Governor's Secretary, asking the favor of the
Congress to give a safe conduct to his Excellency's
coach and horses to the house of Farquard Camp-
bell, in Cumberland. On receiving this letter, the
President laid it before the Congress, and Farquard
rose in his seat, and said, " he was amazed that Mr.
Biggleston should have made such a proposal with-
out his privity or consent, and implored the House
not to make such a disposition of the coach and
horses."

In the course of the ensuing summer, he was
taken by Colonel Folsome, at his own house, and
carried a prisoner to Halifax, where he lay for a

220 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

long time in confinement. When taken prisoner,
and while on the way to Halifax, he showed the
most perfect nonchalance, or unconcern about the
consequences ; but was as free and jocose as any of
them. Mounted on a fine-spirited horse, he would
frequently gallop on some distance before, and then,
turning round, banter them for a race, or call upon
them to " Come on, come on ! Why so lazy and
dilatory !" These things seem to give us a little
insight into his character, and to disclose the secret
of that long and successful game which he played
in the councils of the State. It is very difficult for
any man, especially in such a time, to tell a wilful
lie, and make others believe that he is telling the
truth ; or to act a false part and make discerning
men believe that he is sincere ; but some have a
much better tact for such an ambidextrous game
than others. What were Campbell's motives for
pursuing such a course, would perhaps be difficult
to ascertain, nor is it of much importance ; but it
appears from the records, that, in course of the next
year, he was made to feel the force of the Confisca-
tion Act.

The Act of Assembly, already referred to, was
little more than a modification and extension of the
resolution which had been passed by the Provincial
Congress, but it was felt perhaps to be more author-
itative, and was more generally enforced. The
Congress had imprisoned many and had declared
the estates of some confiscated, but only of the most
active and prominent among the Tories. As the
civil war had been now raging for more than a

TORIES IN DISGUISE. 221

year, many had been put to death, and as many had
been plundered of their property and brought to
the whipping-post ; but not by their orders. The
Provincial Congress and all the leading Whigs,
showed as much regard to justice and humanity as
could be shown in the existing circumstances ; but
they had not sufficient authority or power to control
the entire community. Many cruelties were prac-
tised by unprincipled or enraged, and irresponsible
companies and individuals, which all wise and good
men regretted. Such things were unavoidable in a
disordered state of society, and especially when the
passions of men were so intensely excited.

That the Provincial Congress, representing the
sentiments and feelings of the community at large,
were humane and generous towards that class of the
population who had taken up arms against the
country and were now in their power, appears from
their uniform professions and from the measures
which they adopted, They issued a Manifesto, in
which they express most seriously, their pity for
the deluded men who had taken part with our
enemies, and their desire that these men might soon
be convinced of their error, and return to the path
of duty. They regret, unfeignedly, the necessity
they were under of keeping any of them in confine-
ment, and of sending some of them where they
would not be so dangerous to the country. They
manifested a compassionate regard for the wel-
fare of their families, especially such of them as
were left in indigent circumstances ; and after re-
commending them to the humanity and kindness

222 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

of all who had it in their power to give relief, they
conclude in the following language, which is alike
creditable to their good sense and their feelings of
generosity. "May the humanity and compassion
which mark the cause we are engaged in, influence
them to such a conduct as may call forth our ut-
most tenderness to their friends whom we have in
our power. Much depends upon the future de-
meanor of the friends of the Insurgents who are
left among us, as to the treatment our prisoners may
experience. Let them consider these as hostages
for their own good behaviour ; and by their own
merits make kind offices to their friends a tribute of
duty as well as humanity from us, who have them
in our power."

Treatment of Tories.

The prisoners who were taken to Halifax were
treated with lenity and kindness. Some of them
appear to have been sent home in a short time with-
out any hard restrictions or conditions. Some were
bound in a penal bond for their good behaviour and
then permitted to return home. Others were placed,
for a time, under the care of certain Whig friends
in different parts of the country, generally at a dis-
tance from the place of their residence; and imme-
diately after the Congress met, the most important
of them were put on their parole of honor. Gen.
McDonald, Alan McDonald, and some others, were
permitted to enjoy their liberty within certain limits,
and on condition that they would not say nor do

TREATMENT OF TORIES. 223

anything to favor the enemy, for which the Con-
gress merely took their word and honor. When
their property was confiscated, provision was made
for their families and the way was left open for their
return to the path of duty. When the State troops
went into the Scotch region, after the battle of
Moore's Creek, they conducted themselves, in the
main, with moderation and propriety ; and, in proof of
this, we shall give only a single instance. After the
battle, Colonel Caswell marched through the country,
or some part of it, with his regiment and, on Sab-
bath morning, came to Barbacue church. The Eev.
John McLeod was either the pastor of the church
or was supplying the pulpit for that day. During
the prayer before sermon the people heard the lum-
bering of the wagons at a distance, as they descend-
ed the hill on the north side of the creek ; and from
the emotions of the speaker, it was supposed he
heard them too. McLeod was a Tory, and as he,
like every body else, seemed to understand at once
what the noise meant, this will account for his emo-
tion. By the close of the sermon the army had
arrived, and the Eev. John McLeod, Hector McLean
and some others were arrested and sent off as pris-
oners to Halifax. Gilbert Clarke, one of the elders
and one of Foote's " little ministers of Barbacue,"
was a Whig and commanded a company of militia
in that district. He immediately collected his com-
pany and followed Caswell ; but for what purpose
or how long he continued with him is not known
to the writer. The Eev. John McLeod soon
returned from Halifax and sailed for Scotland ; but

224 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

as lie was never heard of again, it was supposed that
the vessel and all on board perished on the "high
seas." He had been only a short time in this coun-
try, and that accounts for his Toryism. The few
preachers they had, being all Tories, left the country
except the Bev. James Campbell, who was such a
strong Whig that he would not even baptize the
children of Tories. On this expedition Colonel
Caswell kept his men from insulting the persons or
plundering the property of Tories, and in that
region the name of Caswell is respected to this day.
If all the Whig party, or all who went into that
region with arms in their hands, had followed the
example of Caswell and obeyed the orders of the
Congress, a great amount of unnecessary suffering
and crime would have been prevented ; but indi-
viduals and irresponsible companies, who acted
without any special authority, seemed to think that,
because the Highlanders had risen in arms against
the country, and had been vanquished, they were at
liberty to insult them, plunder them and trample
upon them as they pleased. In this way a great
many cruelties and outrages on decency were prac-
tised which were too disgusting to appear on the
pages of history, and we pass them over with the
names of the actors, leaving them to the imagination
of the reader, but assuring him that when he has
given his imagination full play he will hardly go
beyond the reality. The Congress and all the better
part of the Whig community deplored these things ;
but as they were beyond their control, in such a
lawless and disordered state of society, they were

TKEATMENT OF TOKIES. 225

not to be blamed or held responsible for them.
The Tories were not slow to retaliate, and in one
sense, they did right, for it is a universal law of
nature to protect itself. The worm on which you
tread will writhe under your foot ; the serpent will
coil round and strike its fangs into the instrument
by which it is crushed ; and no man of true courage
and generosity, will blame another for defending
his life and property from violence. The Tories
had not the organization of the Whigs, nor did
they have that order and confidence of success
which arise from the love and the prospect of
liberty ; but they were not much behind them in
stratagem nor in acts of daring.

The deplorable state of things which existed in
that region for some months after the battle on
Moore's Creek, had not undergone much change for
the better when enactments of higher authority and
of wider range came to be enforced, and increased
the troubles. The Council of Safety for this State,
and that for Virginia, had held a joint meeting, in
which it was agreed that all suspected persons
should be disarmed ; and the act of assembly, with
its oath of abjuration, and all its requisitions, must
be enforced. If they intended to stand by their
Declaration of Independence, and maintain the free
government which they had instituted, all dangerous
persons must be banished from the country, or put
in such a condition that they could make no effectual
resistance. Whatever irregularities and atrocities
were committed by individuals or small parties,
regardless of law and authority, should be put down

226 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

to the account of the anarchy which prevailed in
this revolutionary state of things ; but such measures
must be adopted and carried out as were necessary
for the defence of the country and the success of the
cause.

A few of those who had very little scruple of
conscience about anything, and who would comply
with any requisitions to keep their necks out of the
halter, or save their little property, submitted, and
took the oath; but, with these exceptions, they
utterly refused, because it was in direct opposition
to the oath which they had taken to the king. Some
fled to the North, and some to the South, where
they joined the British army ; but the greater part
of them fled from their homes, and lay concealed in
the swamps, leaving the Whigs to take whatever
fines or taxes they wanted out of their property,
and some of them were not very scrupulous as to
quantity. We give the following as a very mode-
rate sample of the manner in which the sheriffs or
county officers — the collectors of tax — proceeded
when collecting the taxes, even from men of
character and property. Kenneth Black, who was
a man in good circumstances, and of much respec-
tability in his neighborhood, lived on the place
now owned by Laughlin McKinnon, on the Mor-
gantown Road, in Moore county, and a short
distance from McKinnon's present dwelling. In
the fall of 1778, Malcom Monro and Neill McCranie
came to collect the taxes for the county ; but Black,
like a true loyalist, refused to pay, and said that
the taxes belonged to the king. After a little

TREATMENT OF TORIES. 227

altercation, with some harsh words, Monro and
McCranie left the house, and returning in the
evening before sunset, with Captain Bailey's com-
pany of horsemen, took a negro man, a stud horse,
and a good deal of other property, amounting in all
to seven or eight hundred dollars. Black was not
now at home, but was returning, when his daughter
Margaret met him, and informed him of what was
doing. He then kept out of the way, and shewed
no disposition to make resistance. The negro, it
is said, was afterwards recovered, and perhaps the
horse, but not the other property. If such was the
course of procedure with men of Black's character
and standing, we may suppose it was worse with
men of less property and influence in the com-
munity. During this period the Scotch complained
bitterly of such military officers as Alston, Seals,
Crump, Coxe, Hadly, Fletcher, Jennings, Pember-
ton, and others, for carrying away their bacon,
grain and stock of every description, professedly
for the American army, but without making com-
pensation, or even giving a certificate, and thus
leaving their families in a destitute and suffering
condition. We presume that these officers thought
they were taking the most effectual way to accom-
plish their object, which was 10 drive this dangerous
portion of the population out of the country, or
reduce them to such a state, of submission that they
would cause no further trouble.

228 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS

MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS*

From the time the Act of Assembly took effect,
which, was in the summer of 1777, until the
summer of 1779, about two years, there was com-
parative peace and security. There were occasion-
ally individual acts of cruelty, depredations or
house burning, and some acts of oppression by
petty officers, both civil and military ; but these were
small matters in comparison with what had preceded
and what followed. In the spring or summer of
this year, Hector McNeil and Archibald McDougal
returned from the British army, where they had
been for two or three years ; and, as the British
were now meditating another desperate effort for the
subjugation of South and North Carolina, they
had, no doubt, been thus sent back a little in ad-
vance to exert an influence on their countrymen
and prepare them for the coming struggle. They
were quite enthusiastic and gave the most glowing
accounts of the British army and its officers. They
said the British had money at command to any
amount ; that they would be certain to conquer the
country ; and that the Scotch would be handsomely
rewarded if found on the King's side. Then why

* These little conflicts and atrocities among the Scotch were
communicated to me, chiefly by Dr. Smith, and some others
in th it region.

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 229

should they any longer submit to such injustice and
tyranny, insult and oppression ? Thus excited, they
began again gradually to rise and embody ; and
from that time until the close of the war, the country
presented a terrible scene of bloodshed, devastation
and wretchedness.

As the Tories began to rise and form into small
parties, the Whigs began to rally for their suppres-
sion, and various little conflicts ensued, which were
attended with success, sometimes on one side and
sometimes on the other, but gradually increased in
frequency and magnitude until the last. Captain
Fletcher, from Fayetteville, with about twenty -five
men, met a much larger body of Tories, who are
said to have been commanded by Colonel Fanning,
at Legat's now Davis' Bridge, on Eockfish. Fletcher
gave them one fire 'and retreated. "Big" Daniel
Shaw, a Whig, was wounded in the shoulder.
Daniel Campbell, a Tory, was mortally wounded and
died on the third day. He had been a Lieutenant
in the British army ; and having been taken prisoner
and exchanged, had joined this second rising of the
loyalists now in its incipient stage. This is all that
I have been able to learn, says Doctor Smith, as to
the results of the skirmish on Eockfish, unless it
gave rise to the unfortunate rencounter or "meet-
ing," between Fletcher and Colonel Armstrong
which took place soon after.

The real cause of the difference between them

is not well known to the writer, nor is it a matter

of much consequence at the present day. Some

say, that Fletcher having thus retreated, Armstrong

16

230 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

accused him of cowardice, and Fletcher sent him a
challenge ; but others say that Fletcher was Com-
missary, and that the men complained to Colonel
Armstrong of the provisions furnished; that Col.
Armstrong mentioned these complaints to Fletcher,
who took offence, and sent him the challenge ; that
Armstrong remonstrated with him, and told him
that he himself had nothing against him ; that in
thus making known to him the complaints of the
men, he was only acting in his official capacity, as
he was in duty bound to do, and that he intended
no personal offence ; but Fletcher would not be re-
conciled. Armstrong went home greatly distressed,
but endeavored to keep it concealed. His wife,
Janet, however, who was a daughter of Farquard
Campbell, perceived that something was troubling
him very much, and kept insisting on him to let
her know what it was, until he ultimately told her.
She hooted at him, and said, " Fight him — yes, fight
him, and kill him, too." Having made every ex-
planation and acknowledgment, as he thought,
which he could make without losing his influence
as an officer, and incurring the reproach of the com-
munity, he finally accepted the challenge. At the
first shot he reserved his fire, and then renewed his
proposals for reconciliation; but Fletcher refused.
When ready for the second fire, Armstrong said,
"Now, Fletcher, I will kill you ;" and so he did. At
the next fire, Fletcher fell; and Armstrong was
greatly distressed that he had thus been driven to
the necessity, contrary to his conscience and all his

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 231

better feelings, of taking the life of a brother officer,
and perhaps, until then, an intimate friend.

I have related this affair for two reasons : it is a
sad instance, among many others, of that false sense
of honor which military men, and even many
others, are so apt to cherish. If the account which
I received and have given above, be the correct
one, Fletcher seems to have been, like many others,
too sensitive in regard to his honor. We pass no
censure on him, or any one in particular; but it is
against the practice that we inveigh, and adduce
the instances which occur, as illustrations. The
case also illustrates the spirit of chivalry or ' ' heroic
defence of life and honor" which then peculiarly
characterised the higher order of the Scotch. Far-
quard Campbell is said to have belonged to the stock
of the nobility in Scotland ; and his daughter seems
to have possessed the spirit of her rank to such a
degree, that she could never think of having it said
that her husband had refused a challenge.

"As the difficulties increased, many Whigs re-
moved their families to places of more security, and
left them for a time. Captain Travis, who had mar-
ried a daughter of old Thomas Hadley, took his
family into Wake county, and Andrew Beard, a
noted murderer, as the Scotch call him, drove the
wagon. When Travis and Beard were returning
with their wagons for another load, Col. Duncan
Eay, who had gone over the river with about twenty
men in search of Beard, met them at Sproul's ferry,
and Duncan Ferguson, one of Bay's men, shot down
Beard on the spot. As soon as he could reload, he

232 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

was about to shoot Travis also ; but he sprang up
and seizing Col. Ray behind and around the body,
held him between himself and Ferguson, all the time
begging Eay for his life. The Colonel yielded ; but
took him and Sproal, with all his family, prisoners.
Sproal's women, children and negroes returned home
next morning; but he and Travis were sent as
prisoners to Wilmington. They were exchanged,
in time ; and Travis afterwards acted as commissary ;
but was accused of altering tickets. On this or some
other charge, he was apprehended and put under
guard in Fayetteville ; but, pretending to be drunk
and asleep, the guard neglected him, when he es-
caped through a window and fled to Nova Scotia."

" Near three hundred men, under Colonel Peter
Robison, of Bladen county, in passing through
the country had halted at Stuart's, now McPher-
son's mill creek, to take breakfast, when Colonel
McNeill, with all his force, came upon them so
suddenly, that they had no time to rally, and were
scattered forthwith. How many, if any of the Whigs
were killed, I have not learned; but John Turner
and Daniel Campbell, two of McNeill's men were
killed on the ground; and Dougald McFarland,
another of the Tories, was, soon after, found dead
near the place. Matthew Watson, a Tory, took
young Archibald McKizic by surprise and held him
a prisoner; and one story is that, being an acquaint-
ance, and knowing that Turner, a mulatto, would
kill him on sight, he gave him a chance to escape ;
but another, and probably the true account is, that
Watson brought him up into the crowd, and, that

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 233

McKizic, still sitting on his horse, and no disposal
having been yet made of him, on seeing an oppor-
tunity, stuck the spurs into his horse and dashed
down the hill at full speed, the balls whizzing about
his head all the time, crossed the creek, and when
he had ascended to the top of the opposite hill, he
stopped a moment, turned round and, waving his
hat over his head, gave the whoop of defiance, and
then cantered off at his leisure."

The following communication from Mr. William
McMillen, for which he has my grateful acknow-
ledgments, will be read with interest, and therefore
we give it entire. The facts detailed belonged to
different periods of the war ; but as they are isolated
or unconnected with any prominent transaction, we
cannot do better than to publish them all together.
He gives the names of those from whom he received
the facts, which was the proper method ; and I
should have been glad to have responsible names
for all the facts contained under this head, but could
not have it so in every case. He intended to fur-
nish mere memoranda; but he has related every-
thing with so much perspicuity that I shall copy
his language, with some merely verbal corrections.
In a letter to a gentlemen in that region, who has
furnished me with so many facts, and through
whose agency these were procured, he says, " The
enclosed notes have been hastily written, and I have
not time to revise or copy them. Should you find
them of any value in forming materials for the pur-
pose you mentioned, they are at your service. I

234 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

am sorry that I could not have furnished them
sooner ; but I have been so much engaged since I
saw you that I have not found it convenient to
attend to the matter, until I am kept within doors
to-day by the effects of a cold. Should they con-
tribute, in any degree, to promote a greater regard
and appreciation for the blessings resulting from
law and order, and for the morals and intelligence
of the community in our day, when contrasted
with that awful period, I shall be amply compen-
sated for the loss of the few hours devoted to them.

Archbald McLean, Informant. — "During the
war I climbed that tree," pointing to a large Poplar,
" to watch the Hadleys, having run off on their
approach to my father's house ; you will observe
that the branches at the top spread out, which was
occasioned by my breaking off the top at that time,
as I saw them taking away all our horses, three in
number. Those Hadleys, with a few others, if they
could only hear of a Scotchman having anything valu-
able, from a good negro down to a cooking pot, that,
according to their moral code, constituted a right to
it. This state of things continuing for a length of
time, some of those who were lying out in the
islands of the swamp, below Flea Hill, formed the
plan of taking them by surprise at night, and of
stopping their depredations. They were unsuccess-
ful, as the objects of their pursuit were probably
out on a plundering expedition; but the aged
father was found, shot down, and their vengeance
further wreaked by running a sword through his

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 235

body for fear that life was not extinct. The father
was regarded as the recipient of stolen property,
and furthermore, that he was, to some extent, re-
sponsible for the conduct of his sons, who in this
matter at least, reflected his will. As ' murder will
out,' the young Hadleys having ultimately learned
that some individuals of their neighborhood were
implicated in the death of their father, on a certain
occasion, some time after the close of the war, they
procured some friends and came to my father's
house at night, where a small party were collected
at a cotton picking. They rushed suddenly into the
house, and attempted to shoot down, in the crowd,
two men whom they suspected. The first one,
whom one of the Hadleys attempted to shoot, was
near enough to seize the muzzle of the gun, and as
it was being fired, to change the direction of the
charge, which seriously lacerated the hand of one
of his brothers, and also passed through the skirt of
my hunting shirt, but fortunately without injuring
my body. One or two other shots were fired at
the other suspected person ; but as the last one was
discharged, he, being a short distance from the
house, luckily stumbled on a sitting hen and fell ;
otherwise, it is supposed, that his life would have
been seriously endangered.

" The assailants immediately dispersed to attend to
the wounded man; and, as soon as practicable, a
party of us procured our horses and guns, and made
all possible speed for the causeway near Flea Hill,
where we expected they would cross the swamp on
their return home. There we arranged ourselves in

236 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

ambuscade; but we afterwards learned that they
crossed at a point much further south and thus es-
caped."

" Would you really have shot any of the party,"
enquired I, " if they had approached ?"

"I never have been more anxious to shoot an old
buck, in good season, than I was on that occasion, to do
so ; but I afterwards had the pleasure of seeing one
of the Hadleys cropped on a conviction of stealing.
Having formed such a habit of it during the war, he
could not desist after the establishment of law and
order until arrested by the strong arm of the law.

" A few years ago, some large beach-trees in the
islands of the swamp, exhibited names and dates
which, it is said, were inscribed by those lying out
during that awful period."

Colin McEae, Esq., Informant and still living : —
" My father lived on Deep river — my mother's
maiden name was Burke. When the governor of
that name was taken prisoner at Hillsboro', by Fan-
ning and his company, they stopped at our house
at night on their way to Wilmington. The Governor
was put into an additional apartment at the end of
the house, and there closely guarded. Our bag of
meal was seized and cooked immediately ; and hav-
ing been previously robbed, my mother had no bed
clothes except one cotton sheet which was carefully
wrapped round my infant brother John, by his
mother's side. One of the company seized hold of
the corner of this sheet and continued to jerk and
shake it until the infant rolled out on the naked

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 237

floor. By way of retaliation, my mother made some
attempt before day to let her namesake, the Governor,
escape ; but without success."

" Where was your father then ?"

" My father ! why he was concealed in some swamp,
and had made the best crop that year that he ever
made while at that place, by cultivating it altogether
at night, when his life would not be endangered, as
during the day."

My Mother, Informant — "My father had been
lying out for a long time, I was large enough to go
and bring him victuals or leave it where he could
find it. Early of a morning I was engaged in
baking bread on a board before the fire, when a
large party of men on horseback came up, seized
what bread was done, and even that which was par-
tially so, cleared out our smokehouse, emptied out
all our corn from the crib on their saddle blankets
for their horses, and what they did not eat was ren-
dered unfit for use, as it was spilled on the ground
and soiled. "We had a few cows at home, two of
which they killed. Thus we were left without a
particle of food. My mother went in the afternoon
three miles to an off place, where the principal
part of our stock was, got some milk and made it
into curd which the family ate. This occurred im-
mediately after the battle of Guilford Court House.
The cow pen referred to is about four miles south
of Long Street Church. My father says he re-
collects that a party came at night to his father's
house, on Buckhorn Swamp, in Robison county,

238 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

who stripped the house of every vestige of bed
clothes, and destroyed even some large joints of
reed which he and an older brother had brought
home through childish curiosity. My grand father
was ordered to surrender his money. He denied
having any, when a blow was aimed at him, he still
lying in his bed; but it was warded off by an
acquaintance, a man by the name of Bone, who
was one of the party. He was then seized and
carried to Wilmington. After having been con-
fined there a few days, and after having seen two
prisoners shot, late of an evening, liberty was
granted to himself and another to enjoy the air,
with one or two persons to guard them. After en-
joying the privilege a short time, he suddenly ran
around the corner of a building and continued to
run without being overtaken until he got out of
view of the place. What became of the other he
did not know ; but he made all possible haste
towards home, where he arrived before daylight
next morning, a distance of eighty miles. He
received a piece of bread at the door of his own
dwelling without waiting to enter, made for a place
of concealment and never appeared publicly again
until after the restoration of peace and order.
Nearly all his cattle were driven off, and he was
deprived of a saddle horse. Having heard of him
afterwards, he got a friend to purchase him ; but he
was immediately taken again and never recovered.
"I recollect hearing the guns distinctly during the
skirmish at Stuart's Creek on the north side of Big
Kock Fish, Cambden road. On the evening of that

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 239

clay, I and an older brother were near Buckhorn
Swamp, when we discovered a man bareheaded, on
horseback, who immediately started at full speed
from us into the swamp on a causeway composed of a
few poles placed lengthwise for the convenience of
the cows. The swamp, at that point, was two or three
hundred yards broad, and we could hear his horse
blundering as he was making his way across. That
was the only horse known to cross the place. On
going to Stuart's mill afterwards, it was very disa-
greeable, as several horses had been killed during

Ellta "WiLKlNS, gave the following account of that
battle. — " On the day previous, our party, of whom
Peter Eobeson had the command, discovered the
Tories on the west side of the Eaft and swamp.
We hailed them, and mutual challenges were
exchanged to cross the swamp, which was declined
by both parties. That evening we arrived at
Stuart's, where we remained for the night, having
Ealph Barlow and another Tory prisoners. We
killed two of Stuart's cattle for meat; and while
some were preparing portions of it for travelling
with, Barlow and the other prisoner were taken on
the west side of the creek to be shot. Barlow re-
quested time to offer his last prayer, which was
granted with the proviso that it should be a short one.
This ceremony being ended, the order had been given
to ' fire,' when I simultaneously discovered at the top
of the hill, two or three ' red caps,' and I shouted,
1 Tories.' One man had actually snapped his piece

240 KEVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

at the prisoners, when they sprang forward, and
made their escape in the confusion that ensued.
Barlow, in his prodigious leap, broke the cords that
bound his hands. He then escaped, by swimming
through the mill pond, and died a few years ago at
an advanced age, and regarded as a very worthy
and highly respectable citizen. The Tories were
commanded by a McNeill, and had nearly sur-
rounded us except on the mill pond side. By
concert we reserved our fire until they charged on
us, when a few of us fired, and then tried to
make our escape. Some undertook to cross the
creek below the mill ; but, the banks being very
steep, they were thrown from their horses. It was
rather a running fight from there to a ford on
Eock Fish, near the junction of the two streams.
On crossing Eock Fish our scattered party was pur-
sued by some of the Tories. Two or three of us
concealed ourselves in the bushes near to each other,
and immediately a mulatto approached us who held
some office. When within a few paces of us, he
fired at some one who was at a distance, on which
one of our party rose and presented his gun. He
cried for quarters ; but as he uttered the words, I
saw a streak of fire pass beyond his body, as the
charge passed through him, and he fell dead."

There was at this time, in that part of the coun-
try, a class of Whig officers, such as White, Hadley,
Armstrong, Porterfield, and some others, who have
been incidentally mentioned already, or some of
them ; but of whom it may not be amiss to take a

m NORTH CAROLINA. 241

little farther notice. They had belonged to the
North Carolina brigade, of continentals, but having
been discharged from the service for reasons which
will be explained presently, they had returned to
their homes in that region. This brigade, which
went north under the command of General Nash,
appears to have been a very respectable one for
numbers, and to have had its full compliment of
officers ; but owing to the usual causes, such as de-
sertion, disease, and battle, especially the battle of
Germantown, it soon became very much reduced ;
and as it could not be recruited immediately, it had
to be remodelled. Hugh M'Donnell, whose manu-
script journal is now before me, and who was pre-
sent, an eye-witness of what he relates, tells us that
on the morning of the battle at Germantown, which
was fought October 4, 1777, one of the generals got
so drunk that he failed entirely to perform the part
assigned him by Washington, and this failure, be-
sides the loss of the battle, caused General Nash to
be killed, and his brigade to suffer more severely
perhaps, than any other in the army. After the
battle, he says, two of the officers, one from Vir-
ginia and one from this State, were sent home in
disgrace, and each with a wooden sword ; the one
for cowardice, and the other for getting drunk ; but
most of the officers in the North Carolina brigade,
were brave men, and were discharged, as a pruden-
tial measure, for the want of men to command. The
remodelling of the brigade took place in May, 1778,
and the number of regiments was reduced nearly
one-half. Of these officers, he mentions only one

242 REVOLUTTONAKY INCIDENTS

who took umbrage and resigned his commission ;
bat he, I think, was from S. Carolina, and had no
connexion with the brigade from this state. Hugh
M'Donnell, having returned temporarily to N.
Carolina, on a visit to his friends, just when the
country was in its greatest troubles, thus speaks of
the supernumerary officers who had returned, and
were serving their country at home.

" These officers, after their return from the north,
proved to be very useful in N. Carolina. They
found the country in great confusion — the terms
Whig and Tory running high among them, and, in
many parts, robbing, plundering, stealing — mobs
and murdering frequently taking place. They used
their influence with all possible diligence, to bring
the inhabitants to a better understanding, and in
quelling or capturing the British and Tory compa-
nies who were in gangs through the State. In this
way they proved more useful to their own State
than they could have been to the country at large
had they been retained in the army."

Old Thomas Hadley, who lived, if I mistake not,
on the east side of the Cape Fear and not very far
above the Fox Islands, had under his command, at
least during the latter part of the war, a militia
troop of light horse or mounted men, but I have
not heard of his rendering any very efficient servi-
ces. His son, Joshua Hadley, was first employed as
Captain of a militia company to go in search of
the " out layers," or those Scotch who fled to the
swamps for concealment rather than submit to the
requisitions of the Whig government; but when

IN" NORTH CAROLINA. 243

the continental brigade was formed, under the
command of Gen. Nash, he joined it with his com-
pany and went to the north, where he was in the
battles of Brandy wine and Germantown. After the
regiment to which he belonged was merged in
another and he was discharged as a supernumerary,
he returned to North Carolina and seemed to retain,
not only his patriotism and devotion to the good of
his country, but the habits of order and decorum
which he had formed in the Continental army under
Washington. Hugh McDonald, when at home in
1781, again speaks of Hadley and the other
supernumerary officers of that brigade, who had
returned, as exerting a very good influence, both in
fighting the hostile bands of British and Tories
combined, who were so troublesome, and in sup-
pressing, or at least restraining to a considerable
extent, even on the part of the Whigs, the practice
of plundering, house burning and assassination
which had become so prevalent. According to tra-
dition, Captain Hadley, with his little militia com-
pany, was at the battle on Cane creek and was, in
general, prompt to render any service he could when
occasion required. John Hadley, though not an
officer, or not one of any rank, is spoken of as hav-
ing been an active Whig, and, on the whole, an
honorable man. Simon Hadley had no regular
command but headed a band of reckless men whom
the Scotch represented as no better than robbers and
cut-throats. Colonel Armstrong appears to have
been a man of courage, firmness and honorable
principles. Of the Porterfields I know very little,

244 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

except that I have always heard them spoken of as
men of undoubted courage, and as having been at
the battle of Cambden in 1780, and of Eutaw in
the fall of 1781, where one of them was killed.
When a man fills any public office, especially in
such a time as the Eevolutionary war, his name and
character, and principles, become identified with the
history of the country.

Thomas Hadley.

Early in the fall of 1781, Thomas Hadley was
killed, and in rather a singular way by the Tories,
to whom he had made himself obnoxious, the Scotch
say, by his severities. He lived on the Cape Fear,
opposite to the mouth of Carver's creek, and in what
was then termed a " high roofed house," by which,
I suppose, was meant a house with a steep roof and
attic windows. About a dozen of Tories, being
apprized that he was at home, having just returned
from a tour of some kind, probably against their
party, went there one night with a determination
to take his life. The night was intensely dark ;
but that may have been favorable to their design.
If fortune does sometimes favor the brave, it is not
always so ; for history abounds with facts to the con-
trary; and when the brave do fall, apparently by
chance, or by the hand of some miserable assassin,
grave and important lessons are taught which we
should not be slow to learn nor reluctant to practice.

When the Tories surrounded his house, he barri-
caded his doors in the best way he could, ran up
stairs and, putting his head out at a window, called

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 245

for Frank Cooley and Andrew Beard to bring up
their men ; but this stratagem bad been practiced so
often by both parties that it was now disregarded by
the assailants. Cooley and Beard were not on the
premises, with men to bring up ; or if they had been
there, the Tories knew that they could elude them
in the dark. In his circumstances it could hardly
be expected to succeed, and, in this case, it proved
his ruin. The Tories instead of being at all discon-
certed, only felt assured that they had nothing to
fear, and were more determined on entering the
house, but while they were making preparations for
this purpose, as Hadley kept his head out of the
window, giving directions to Cooley and Beard how
to proceed, a little Scotchman, by the name of
McAlpin, took it into his head that he would shoot
at the voice. Eaising his gun to the right position,
and taking aim by the ear and not with the eye,
when the gun fired, the ball struck Hadley about
the lower jaw, and, passing diagonally through his
head, lodged in some of the timbers above. A tuft
of hair, carried by the ball, stuck in the edge of the
hole where it entered the timbers, and remained
there for many years.

Hadley had four sons, of whom all escaped, under
cover of the night, except one called Benjamin, or,
familiarly Ben, who was probably the youngest.
The Tories took him and carried him to Gray's
pocosin, five or six miles off, where they stripped
him, tied him to a tree on an island in the pocosin,
which, from this circumstance, is still called Hadley 's
island, and there they let the swarms of flies, mos-
17

246 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

quitoes and insects of every kind prey upon him till
they were satisfied.

After Hadley's death, Andrew Beard moved up
to Sproal's ferry, at the mouth of lower Little river,
but soon met a similar fate. When getting corn out
of his crib one day, to feed his horse, he saw a com-
pany of Tories coming towards the house ; and, while
they were approaching, he came out of the crib,
calling on his men to come up, and holding a large
corncob in each hand. Whether this was done with
the intention of deceiving his enemies or not, was
never known; but it was an unfortunate circum-
stance ; for the Tories supposing them to be pistols,
fired on him, and several balls having entered his
body, he fell dead on the spot.

Samuel Divinnie & Co.

Amid all the changes which have been in most
of the other States by the ingress of foreigners, and
by the spirit of enterprise on the part of the Ame-
rican population, so little change of this kind has
been made in North Carolina, and so peculiar were
the circumstances of the country during the war of
the revolution, that almost every family, at the pre-
sent day, feels an interest on the one side or the
other, in the incidents of that period ; and for this
reason, if not for its intrinsic importance, everything
is worth recording.

Among those who were misled for the want of
better information, and were thrown on the wrong
side by honest but unwarranted scruples of con-

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 247

science, were Samuel Divinnie, and three brothers
by the name of Field, William, Jeremiah, and
Eobert, with a few others who were under their
influence. They had been engaged in the Eegula-
tion battle, and, having taken the oath of allegiance
after their discomfiture, they were Tories or
Eoyalists during the war. After the battle of
Moore's creek, they were thought to be dangerous
to the peace of the country, and being apprehended,
were carried to Fredericktown, in Maryland, where
they were kept as prisoners in a house called the
"Tory House;" but Divinnie and Eobert Field
were young men, uncommonly vigorous, active and
resolute, and in a short time, made their escape.
They had conducted, apparently, in such a frank
and honorable way, that they had gained the con-
fidence of all who were concerned in their custody,
and the number of the guard was reduced to two or
three men. As the house was deemed pretty secure,
only one man, as keeper, usually paid any attention
to them, and so much was he deluded, that he
usually let them out through the day to walk in
the porch and through the enclosure round the
house. There is something in a frank, open-hearted
and manly deportment, that is so congenial with the
sympathies or better feelings of our nature, and
which is, therefore, so hard to resist, that perhaps
we ought not to blame the keeper in this case ; and
so far as I could learn, he brought on himself no
suspicion of betraying his trust, even through neg-
ligence, or of any design to favor their escape.
However, when he brought them out into the

248 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

porch one morning as usual, two of them, Divinnie
and Kobert Field, seized a couple of muskets which
happened to be standing close bj, run him into the
house at the point of the bayonet, locked him up
there, and then, putting the key into their pocket,
made their escape. The keeper and two or three
others who were in the house as guards, all now
locked up together as prisoners in place of those
who had left, put their heads out of the window
next to the town and cried, " Tories, Tories," at the
very top of their voices, but no body seemed to
pay any attention. Whether this cry had been
raised so often, either in jest or. earnest, that the
people had learned to disregard it, like those of
whom we read in the fable, who had been so often
deceived by the cry of " wolf, wolf," raised in sport,
that they did not heed it, or whether they were in-
different about the custody of these Tory prisoners,
is not known, but these "jail birds," or these substi-
tutes for those who were lately such, utterly impa-
tient of the restraint, the "durance vile," under
which they had been thus laid, now changed their
note, and with all their might vociferated, "fire!
fire ! fire I" This soon alarmed the whole town ;
and the men came running down to see what was
the matter. As soon as the cause of the alarm was
known, the doors were pried open and the new
occupants came out of their own free will, without
waiting for a " writ of ejectment." Pursuit of the
fugitives was instantly commenced ; but in vain ; for
Field and Divinnie expecting to be pursued, had
jumped into a field about a mile distant and kept

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 249

themselves concealed in a thicket of bushes, where
they saw their pursuers passing about in every
direction, and some within a few rods of them.
Here they remained until dark and then commenced
their journey homeward. By travelling all night
and keeping themselves concealed through the day,
avoiding the public roads as much as possible and
being guided in their course by the stars or by the
bark on the trees, they finally reached their homes
in safety ; but, so far as I have learned, I think they
did not afterwards take a very active part for King
George, nor give the country much more trouble
during the war, either by joining the British army,
or by uniting with any of the malignant parties of
real or pretended royalists.

Daniel Hicks.

If darkness is one source of the sublime, it is
also a cause of terror ; and there are few men who
can meet danger unappalled, or encounter an enemy
with entire self-possession, alone, and in a starless
night. Whether this is owing to the general preva-
lence of the notion that, as the night is the time in
which, ghosts and other beings from the world of
spirits visit these terrene abodes, some of them
might have to be encountered, which would be too
hard a contest for mortal strength ; or to the fact
that as the senses and the reason can at such a time
be of little avail, the imagination is of course excited,
by the very law of self-preservation, into undue
activity, we shall not undertake to determine ; but

250 [REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

many a man who, in broad daylight, could march
up to the cannon's mouth with a firm step, or move
about cool and collected while a thousand deathful
balls were flying round him, will quail in the night
before dangers, real or imaginary, which, if he could
see them as they really are, would only serve to
call forth all his powers, intellectual and physical,
into their most vigorous and well-directed efforts.

The man who, when assailed by a band of ruffians,
at the dead hour of a moonless and starless night,
entirely alone in his little cabin with his wife and
children, the helpless beings who are dearest to his
heart, but who are dependent on his single arm for
protection, can calmly and steadily act on the defen-
sive, and repel the assailants when he can neither
ascertain their number, nor their weapons, and
modes of attack, is certainly a brave man ; nor can
we readily conceive a better test of true manly
courage. It must be remembered, however, that
the assailants are as liable as the assailed to the
undefined terrors of darkness ; and those who, avail-
ing themselves of this supposed advantage, make
the attack, become the victims of that mysterious
dread which they hoped to inspire. During the
last two years of the war, and in the region of which
we are writing, such instances were often occurring;
and of the many which still live in the traditions of
the country, the following may be taken as a
sj^ecimen.

Daniel Hicks was a Whig and lived on the south-
west corner of Richmond county. A number of
Tories, having learned that he was at home and alone

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 251

with his family, came there one night with the de-
termination to take his life. When they snrrounded
the house and made their demands upon him the
painful fact could not be doubted that he must sub-
mit to be tamely put to death, in cold blood, or sell
his life as dearly as possible, and, in either case, his
wife and children would be in the power of the
wicked, whose tender mercies are cruel; but, like a
man of true heroism and putting his trust in an arm
of Omnipotence, in whose righteous cause he was
engaged, he resolved to make the best defence in
his power. Having locked the doors and made the
best arrangements he could, at the moment, he kept
himself concealed and told his wife not to open the
door unless it became necessary in order to prevent
them from breaking it down. Accordingly, when
they demanded admittance, she mildly refused, tell-
ing them that she could not admit them at that hour
of the night, and requested them not to trouble her
any farther; but when they got axes and were
about to break it open she requested them not to
break it and she would open it for them. During
this time Hicks had remained silent and kept him-
self where he could not be seen. His wife had been
the only spokesman and they did not know that
there was any body else in the house, except from
the intelligence which they had received before they
came. Having opened the door, when the foremost
man entered and as soon as he had fairly got inside,
Hicks shot him dead on the spot, and the rest be-
came panic struck and gave back. This was a
shock which they did not expect, and such an act,

252 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

so deliberately and promptly done, made the im-
pression on them that there must be more men in
the house. The darkness aided their imagination,
and, as the one who had been killed was their leader
and the most courageous one among them, they
would not venture to march over his dead body into
the midst of that mysterious silence, but all fled
with precipitation and never attempted again to
assail his house.

Frederick Smith.

In the revolutionary war, especially towards the
latter part of it, the small parties sometimes assumed
each other's costume, or badges of distinction, for
the purpose of practicing a ruse de guerre, a strata-
gem of war, with greater success; and, when first
tried, perhaps, it answered their purpose; but in
other cases it proved injurious either to themselves
or to others who became implicated without any
fault on their part, of which the following may be
taken as an illustration.

From this cause, Frederick Smith, who lived in
the north-east corner of Randolph county, on the
waters of Stauken's, now called Stinking Quarter,
got involved in a difficulty, which, if it should be
a little amusing to the reader, was certainly not so
to him. He was a quiet, inoffensive man, but was
no fighting character, and not very shrewd or ener-
getic. Having no fondness for " the confused noise
of the warrior," nor for the sight of "garments
rolled in blood," he had taken no part in the con-

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 253

test, and was content that others should fight the
battles of freedom and independence, if he could
be permitted to remain in peace by his own fire-
side, and enjoy his homely fare with his " better
half," and the little Smiths that were growing up
" like olive plants," around his table ; but if a " go-
between is never an honorable character," his situa-
tion is often a very unsafe one, and in such times
when people generally felt that all their dearest in-
terests were at stake, and when their strongest pas-
sions were so highly excited, it was impossible, for
one here and another there, to remain neutral, or to
avoid the suspicions of both parties, and thus, in
spite of all his good intentions and supposed inof-
fensiveness, to become the unfortunate victim of one
party or the other.

The opposite parties in that region had so often
assumed each other's distinctive badges that a man,
especially one who had taken no part in the military
operations of the day, when he met a company,
unless he knew some of them personally or had
some way of distinguishing them other than their
cockades or party uniform, would be utterly at a
loss; and such, unfortunately, was the case with
Fred Smith. One of these parties came upon him
unexpectedly one day in the neighborhood, and,
not knowing him, asked him the usual question in
such cases, "Who are you for?" and having to
guess, he happened to guess wrong, naming the
party opposite to the one into whose hands he had
fallen. Without further proof or examination the
order was given, " Hang him up," and it was in-

.254 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENT?

stantly obeyed. As they did not design to kill him
outright, but merely to teach him a salutary lesson,
after letting him hang as long as they thought they
could with safety they cut him down and let him go.
Not long after, the other party met with him, in
a different direction, and, as a matter of course, put
to him the usual test question, " Who are you for?"
Whether he had ever learned the "rule of contraries"
we know not, but, as he had already suffered so
much for saying that he belonged to such a party, he
concluded that it could not be worse with him and
named the other, that is, the one which had hung
him before. As he had to guess again without any-
thing to guide him, he unfortunately guessed wrong,
and the order was given, " Plang him up," which
was forthwith obeyed. With quite as much hu-
manity as the others, after he had hung as long as
they thought he would bear to hang without " giv-
ing up the ghost," they cut him down and let him
go, with an earnest but friendly admonition that if
they ever found him again on the wrong side it
would be the last of him.

In process of time, some other company met with
him, and not knowing him, asked him the same
question, " Who are you for ?" but having suffered
so much already from both the contending parties,
and not wishing to run the risk of suffering the
same again for a mere mistake of name, he conclu-
ded to try another, and said he was for the devil.
Whether this was a mere guess or certain truth we
have not learned ; but they thought if that was the
case the sooner he was put out of the way the bet-

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 255

ter. So, making the limb of a tree answer for a
gallows and a grape vine for a halter, they swung
him off and immediately left him, thinking that
they had started him on his journey to "that undis-
covered country from whose bourne no traveller
returns;" but one of them, more humane or more
considerate than the rest, made an excuse to stay
behind, and, as they were soon out of sight by de-
scending the hill or by following a turn in the road,
he cut him down before he was quite dead.

General Harrington.

"William Henry Harrington was made a Brigadier
General at an early period during the war, and was
most of his time, in the military service of the
country, until independence was achieved, and peace
established. His possessions, which were very ex-
tensive, lay on the Pedee river, in the south-west
quarter of Kichmond county, and there his wife
and children, like the wives and children of most
others who were engaged in the same cause, were
left under the protection of a kind Providence.
In the fall of 1780, Major McArther sent a detach-
ment of British troops up from Cheraw to plunder
his premises, and to destroy what they could not
bring away. They tied the overseer's hands, and
drove him before them as if he had been a criminal.
They took all the negroes, or all they could get,
horses and cattle, grain, provisions and every thing
they could take with them. With such a quantity
of plunder, they set off for head-quarters, in fine

256 EEVOLUTIOXARY INCIDENTS

spirits ; but the Whigs of that region, among whom
the news had been circulated, with great rapidity,
embodied, pursued and overtook them below Cheraw
on their way to Charleston ; and, by coming on
them suddenly, encumbered as they were with so
much booty, they easily overpowered them, recov-
ered the property, and captured the whole convoy.

"When General Harrington was informed of what
had happened, he wrote to his wife, or sent her
word, to remove with her children, servants, and
whatever else she wished or could conveniently
take with her, to her friends in Maryland, and to
remain there until there could be more peace and
security in this country. She set off accordingly,
with no other guard than her servants, but was met
at Mountain creek, in the the south-west of Moore
county, by a body of Tories, under the command
of John Leggett, who seized upon everything ; the
servants, two or three wagons, carriages, or vehicles
of some kind, and everything they could take, leav-
ing her to return home on foot, or to shift for her-
self in the best way she could. With the property
of which they had so barbarously robbed the help-
less and inoffensive, they proceeded towards the
mountains, to what particular point was never
known, but probably to some place where the}^ sup-
posed their booty could be in safe keeping. The
negroes, however, in a short time made their escape,
and found their way home again ; but, as the horses
and carriages could not do that, nothing else was
recovered during the war.

After independence was gained and peace estab-

m NORTH CAROLINA. 257

lished, General Harrington sued Leggett, who lived
a very few miles south or south-west from Fayette-
ville, and recovered the full amount of damages.
To meet these damages, his land was put up at pub-
lic sale, and General Harrington either bid it off
himself, or had it bid off for him ; but Leggett's
wife and daughters manifested so much distress at
being thus turned out of house and home, and left
friendless and penniless, to bear the taunts and re-
proaches to which they would be everywhere sub-
ject, on account of their attachment to the Tory
interest, that General Harrington, with a great deal
of generosity and kind feeling, just gave them back
the land as a free gift.

For these anecdotes, and one or two others, I am
indebted to Col. Harrington, a son of the General,
who, in a serene and cheerful old age, is living on
his paternal estate in the south-east quarter of
Richmond county, where, enjoying otium cum dig-
nitate, he spends his time in his library, or among
his friends, and where he gives a courteous recep-
tion and a cordial welcome to all who come. It is
very desirable that the Colonel, or some one else in
that region who is competent to the task, should
make the public better acquainted with the charac-
ter and services of Gen. Harrington and several
others who were associated with him during the
hardest toils and conflicts of the war ; and, as that
whole region lying between the Pedee and Cape
Fear rivers, abounds so much in revolutionary inci-
dents of an important and entertaining kind, it is
hardly less desirable that there should be some one

258 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

there who had in his cranium an " antiquarian
bump," so well developed that he would take a
pleasure in gathering up these incidents, and giving
them to the public either in a moderate sized vol-
ume, or in some of the current periodicals.

Nathaniel Kerr.

In all situations and everywhere, but especially
in such a state of things as then existed in our
country, a state of foreign and domestic war, the
serious and the jocose, the perilous and the ludic-
rous, are often so blended that our gravity is dis-
turbed in spite of ourselves, and we are obliged to
smile at the very efforts by which a man overcomes
or escapes from the grasp of his deadliest foe.

Nathaniel Kerr was a Whig and lived, at that
time, in Randolph county, on the south side of Deep
river, and not far from the present site of the Nor-
mal College. This was a Whig neighborhood, but
as it bordered on the Tory region, the Whigs were
obliged, during the latter part of the war, to keep
embodied most of the time, in self-defence ; and
when thus embodied, they could not be idle. These
embodiments were sometimes larger and sometimes
smaller, as circumstances required. When Fan-
ning, with his marauders, was known to be any
where near, they were obliged to rally all the force
they could, but at other times they kept together in
smaller parties. As their object was to protect
their families and their property, they did not go far
from home, but ranged over the country, sometimes

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 259

in one direction and sometimes in another, always
ready to act on the aggressive or defensive accord-
ing to circumstances.

One of these parties consisting of ten or a dozen,
while out one night in pursuit of some Tories, came
upon them sometime after dark and in a small log
house. When they entered the house, as they did,
pell mell, there was such a jam that they could make
no use of their guns, and happening to be just equal
in numbers, they grappled, man with man. It be-
came then a trial of muscular strength, and he who had
the most vigor, or was the most alert in using what
he had, was apt to be the victor. Kerr, though of
slender proportions, was very much of a man and
not easily handled ; but in this case he got yoked
with one who was much superior to him in size and
muscular power. In their struggle they fell across
a bed which stood close by ; and then came the trial
of both strength and agility. The Tory was upper-
most, grasping him by the throat, and Kerr began
to think it was a gone case with him ; but happen-
ing to recollect at the moment, that he had on a
pair of old fashioned spurs, with very long rowels,
it occurred to him that they might answer a good
purpose in the present emergency. He had found
them effective for a horse and it was now to be
proved whether they would be equally efficient on
a Tory. So drawing up his feet with the quickness
of thought, he made his heels play alternately, like
drum sticks, along the fellows thighs and upon " the
seat of honor," with such power that he would
sometimes make the blood spin, and the operation

260 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

was absolutely murderous. To be thus lacerated and
torn piece meal was more than flesh and blood could
bear ; and the poor Tory, letting go his grip, sprang
to his feet on the floor, groaning and muttering
vengeance ; but he had no sooner alighted on his
feet, than his antagonist was on the floor and con-
fronting him. Then assaulting him with the fierce-
ness of a tiger, he soon overpowered him and made
him submit. They were all eventually conquered ;
but whether any were put to death, I did not learn.
Sometime after the war Mr. Kerr removed to
Guilford, and settled about ten miles east from the
present town of Greensboro', where he raised a large
and respectable family ; and was one of our most
upright and estimable citizens. He lived to a Yery
advanced age, and died as he had lived, without
enemies, and with many friends, highly esteemed
while living and sincerely lamented in his death by
all who knew him.

Ambrose Blackburne.

In February, 1781, Isaac Horton and Abraham
Horton, who lived in the northwest quarter of
Stokes County, Captain Stanly, Petree, an English-
man, and a free negro by the name of Arnold, with
a number of others, fifteen in all, went to the house
of Blackburne, who lived five miles northeast from
Germantown, for the purpose of plunder. After
calling him out, four of them went in and robbed
the house of everything they wanted, including the
whole of his wearing apparel, except his shirt ; but

IX NORTH CAROLINA. 261

when they were about leaving, a clog belonging to
the Tories, and one belonging to Blackburne, com-
menced fighting; Blackburne cheered on the Whig
dog, and the Tories cheered on the Tory dog, but
Blackburne's dog was too hard for the Tory dog.
When the Tories parted the dogs, Blackburne
damned them, and told them that that was the way
he intended to serve them, which excited their
wrath and they swore they would kill him, but they
were prevented by their Captain, Stanly. As soon
as the Tories left, Blackburne went to the residence
of Col. Joseph Winston, who lived on the Town
Fork, some four miles distant ; and after calling out
the Colonel, he invited him in, but Blackburne told
him he could not go in unless he would throw him
out a pair of breeches, for the Tories had robbed
him of everything, even of his wearing clothes.
The Colonel then furnished him with a pair- of
buckskins, and immediately sent off runners to call
out fifteen of the men under his command, among
whom were Capt. Joseph Cloud, John Martin, Capt.
Joshua Coxe, — the names of the others not recol-
lected — and as soon as the men could be got
together, which was in a very short time, perhaps
only a few hours, they wer* 1 in pursuit. Their
course lay across the Saurat&wm Mountains, at or
near the Quaker Gap. In the evening of the same
day, the Whigs met a boy carrying a bread-tray,
and returning on the trail of the Tories, who, when
asked by the Colonel, where he had been with the
tray, replied, that he had gone to a neighbor's house
to return some meal.

13

262 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

The Colonel charged him with telling a false-
hood, and with having carried meat or provisions to
the Tories, adding that, if he did not tell them where
they were, he would hang him on the spot. The
boy denied knowing anything about them, and the
Colonel said he would make him tell. Being satis-
fied that the boy was acting a false part, he ordered
some of his men, all of whom were mounted, to dis-
mount and hang him if he did not give them the
desired information. On the boy's still denying that
he knew or refusing to tell, they put a rope round
his neck and hoisted him up to the limb of a tree
until they thought he would surely be willing to tell
them the truth, and then let him down. He still
refused, however ; and they hung him up the second
time, but with the same success. The Colonel, feel-
ing confident that he could inform him where the
Tories were, if he would, then told him that unless
he gave them the information which they wanted,
without further delay, they would hang him up and
leave him. This was probably said with such a
positive and earnest tone that the boy, who had, no
doubt been hitherto acting according to instructions,
began to think that it was not an idle threat, or a
mere device to extort a secret from him, agreed,
rather than submit to such a death, to tell them all
he knew. He said that he had just seen them; that
they were not more than a mile off; and, that they
were then encamped on the top of the Chesnut moun-
tain, near the Virginia line.

The "Whigs pushed on and attacked them, when
a running fiodit commenced. The Tories scattered

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 263

in every direction, and were hotly pursued by the
Whigs until they were all killed, except one, by the
name of Horton, and Stanly, their Captain. Jack
Martin pursued Horton, who, as Martin approached,
turned suddenly and fired on him ; but Martin,
being well mounted on a good horse, just as the gun
fired, drew up his horse and threw himself on the
ground. Horton's ball struck the horse in the head
a little below the eyes ; and Martin then fired on
Horton, as he ran, and shot him in the back. The
wound proved mortal and he died on the third day.
Captain Stanly was spared at the intercession of
Blackburne, and was kept as a prisoner of war until
exchanged.

This band of Tories had their retreat on the north
side of the Sauratown mountains, in a natural cave
which is now known as the Tory House, and is a con-
siderable curiosity. Here they must have had their
residence for a length of time, as appeared from the
immense quantity of beef and other bones which
had accumulated at the mouth of the cave. From
this subterranean abode they issued, when necessity
required, or whenever they thought they could do
so with safety, and killed the horses, cattle and other
stock belonging to the Whigs of that section. On
one occasion they killed five head of horses belong-
ing to Matthew More, a prominent Whig in that
region, by knocking them in the head with their
tomahawks ; and this was a fair specimen of their
cruelties.

The character of Col. Joseph Winston and John
Martin, may be found in Wheeler's History of North

264 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

Carolina, and other publications, and to these the
reader is referred.

There was in that region a family "by the name of
Horton, consisting of the father and seven sons, all
of whom were Tories, except Daniel, one of the
sons. The old man was once tried for his life, by
the Whigs, and sentenced to be shot. He had been
blind-folded and was on his knees, ready for execu-
tion, but at the solicitation of Matthew More, Esq.,
the Court Martial reconsidered his case, on account
of the services of his son Daniel, and he was set at
liberty. In addition to Col. Joseph Winston and
John Martin, the most prominent Whigs in the
north and north-west of Stokes county, during the
war of the Eevolution, were Capt. Joshua Coxe and
Capt. John Cloud ; the Tilly family, the Coxe family,
the Gains family, the Leatherages were also sub-
stantial Whigs, and all lived north of the Sauratown
mountains. Edwin Hickman, who is still alive,
having attained the extraordinary age of one hun-
dred years. Thomas Shipp, father of the Eev. Bart-
lett Shipp, and other names might, perhaps, be
added ; but these were the most prominent, active
and resolute.

EOBERT EOWAN,

Who first held the rank of captain, and afterwards
that of colonel, was a native of Ireland. He came
to this country a few years before the revolutionary
war, and settled on the Cape Fear Eiver. He was
very decided in favor of independence, and was

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 265

ready and forward to serve his country in every
way lie could. Not a year after the Mecklinburgh
Declaration of Independence, he drew up a paper
called "An Association," dated Jane 20th, 1775,
and used all his influence to procure signers. This
paper has been published several times, and I am
told, that the original is still preserved in Eobison
County with a very respectable list of signatures.
It is also said, that he published an address to the
citizens of Cumberland County, but of this I have
no certain or definite information.

As captain of a company, he was, I am told, the
first officer in that part of the country, who took up
arms in the cause of freedom. lie was with Caswell
and Lillington at the battle of Moore's Creek, and
was the one, if my information be correct, who sug-
gested the plan of removing the plank from the
bridge, and of greasing the sleepers with soft soap,
in consequence of which, many of the Tories slipped
off into the water and were drowned.

Being a very active and enterprising officer, he
provoked the Tories so that they made every pos-
sible effort to get him in their power ; and unfortu-
nately, on one occasion, he was taken, with Theophilus
Evans and Thomas Sewel. All three of them were
condemned to be hung, and in the meantime, they
were put into a log-cabin with a strong guard round
it. The guard being weary, fell into a sound sleep
and they contrived to get the ropes loose with which
they were tied, when they all made their escape by
climbing up the chimney. As soon as they reached
the ground, each one aimed for the American camp

206 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

■with all the speed he could, and they separately
arrived there in perfect safety.

On missing them, the Tories pursued, and went
first to his house, every apartment, every nook and
corner of which they searched in vain. They then
told his wife that she must tell them where he was,
or they would kill her; but she told them that her
husband did not hide in the cuddies, and dared
them to hurt her ; for, she said, if they did, they
would see him before that time next day. This
womanly firmness and independence probably over-
awed them, for after plundering the house and
destroying everything they could not carry off, they
went away without any attempt to execute their
threat. His countrymen afterwards showed their
appreciation of his patriotic services in different
ways, and for three years, 1778, 1779, 1785, he
represented Cumberland County in the State
Legislature.

Mrs. Elizabeth Forbi?.

We are taught by the highest authority that we
should give honor to whom honor is due, and among
all the other faults of the good Old North State, the
neglect of this injunction is not the least.

We sometimes complain that we have been de-
preciated and neglected by the general government
or by the nation, but the reason is that we have
depreciated and neglected ourselves. Yery few of
those who toiled and suffered in the cause of inde-
pendence, whether in the field, in the council

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 267

chamber, or in the halls of legislation, have been
duly honored, and the female portion of the Whig
community, many of whom were, in their sphere,
as patriotic, suffered as many privations and hard-
ships, and made as resolute a resistance to oppression
as the men, have been entirely neglected. It would
take a volume to record their virtues and their noble
deeds ; and all that the writer of the present work
designs is merely to notice a few and show what
may be done, or what abundant materials there are
in the country, that others, who are more compe-
tent, may be excited to undertake the task and do
the work to better purpose.

Among the many who deserved to be remembered
for their sufferings and their patriotic devotion to
their country, for their fortitude in danger and their
determined resistance to oppression, was Mrs. Eliza-
beth Forbis, wife of Colonel Arthur Forbis who
was as brave a man as the country afforded and was
mortally wounded in the Guilford battle. Her
maiden name was Wiley, and she was a sister of
Thomas Wiley, a brave and resolute Whig, who
was under the command of Col. Forbis, and was
wounded at the same time. We shall not under-
take to detail her trials and sufferings, which were
severe and protracted, but merely relate one inci-
dent as illustrative of her character.

Two or three days after the Guilford battle, two
British horses came to the house of Thomas Mor-
gan, who lived about a mile and a half, in a west
direction, from Colonel Forbis', and he took them
up, judging that, as the British and Tories had taken

263 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

so many horses as well as other things of value from
the "Whigs, the Whigs had a perfect right to any
thing of theirs they could get. He knew that they
were British horses from the fact that they had
short tails, and that they were smaller than the horses
of our army. It is said that the British horses
all had what were called "bobbed tails," and that
they were thus distinguished from the horses belong-
ing to the American cavalry which had long tails.

In the battle the British, of course, lost a good
many horses by having them shot under them, or
by their breaking away when the rider was dis-
mounted ; and when a man on horseback was killed
the horse made his escape, and these horses went at
random over the country. Mrs. Forbis was now in
very destitute and trying circumstances — her horses,
except perhaps a colt that was unfit for work, her
provisions, grain, cattle and almost every thing on
the plantation had been taken from her by the
Tories ; her husband was now dead or dying of his
wounds, and her oldest son, a lad about thirteen or
fourteen years of age, just large enough to drive a
plough with a gentle horse, was her only depend-
ence for making a crop.

As Mr. Morgan was aware of her situation he
took one of the horses clown to her next morning,
and told her if she would accept of it the horse
should be hers, for he considered that we had a
perfect right to take any thing of theirs we could
get, and he had no idea that the owner, if alive,
would ever know where he was, or think of looking
for him in that direction. In fact, very few if any

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 269

of their "horses could get away on the day of battle
unless the rider was killed. She told him that she
would accept his offer very thankfully ; for the time
of year had come for putting in a crop, and she had
no horse fit for the plough. So the horse was left,
and she immediately put him to work.

Next day, her little son had the horse in the
plough drawing furrows for corn, and she was
dropping corn after the plough and covering it with
her hoe, when two young looking men came up to
them on foot and demanded the horse — one of them
saying the horse was his and he must have him ;
but she told him she had as good a right to the
horse as he had, and she should not give him up.
She had no idea that the men belonged to the
British army ; for, at that time, it could not be less
than thirty or forty miles south of her on its way
to Wilmington. Probably they were Tories who
had been employed by the British to procure as
many horses as they needed and were directed to
take them wherever they could find them. When
wandering over the country in search of horses they
had accidentally come to Forbis' and knowing the
horse to be a British horse, from his bobbed tail,
they laid claim to him, but she refused to give him
up. After the demand and refusal had been re-
peated two or three times, he ordered the boy to
take the horse out of the gears ; for he meant to
have him ; but she forbid him to do any such thing.
The boy stood for some time, looking first at one
and then at the other as if he hardly knew what he
ought to do ; for though he respected his mother,

270 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

he feared the men ; but his regard for his mother
proved to be the strongest feeling. The man seeing
this, stepped up to the horse for the purpose of
loosing the traces himself; but she moved up right
in front of him, with her hoe raised over her head ;
and, with a firm countenance and an earnest manner,
told him if he touched the horse she would split his
head with the hoe. Whether overawed by her
dignified and earnest manner, or touched with com-
passion for her afflicted and destitute condition, we
know not, but they left her with the horse and she
was no more troubled.

She lived to see the independence of the country
established, and to share for many years in the
general prosperity and happiness. When the writer
first became acquainted with her she was very old,
but a more cheerful and warm-hearted christian
was not to be found ; and she will be held in long
remembrance on earth, though she has been for
many years enjoying in heaven a much richer in-
heritance than earth can afford.

Mrs. Mary Morgan.

An old lady of great respectability remarked to
the writer not long since, when speaking of the revo-
lutionary times, that the women in this part of the
country would then have shouldered their muskets
and fought, if it had not been for the impropriety.
The remark has been made by others; and we be-
lieve it to be true ; for they seem to have been, from
principle, as patriotic as the men ; and they suffered

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 271

so much from both British and Tories, that it could
not be thought strange if they felt like shouldering
their muskets and marching out to meet their ruth-
less oppressors in mortal combat.

To have their feather-beds dragged into the yard,
ripped open, and the feathers scattered to the four
winds of heaven ; their blankets and other furniture
taken for the benefit of those who, instead of rob-
bing, ought to protect them ; their stock of every
kind — horses, cattle, hogs, &c, driven off before their
eyes — and the very bread and meat prepared for
their next meal devoured in their presence by a set
of voracious harpies in human shape — and all this
repeated as often as they could, by industry and
economy, replace a comfort or acquire a scanty sub-
sistance for themselves and their children — was too
much for even the patience and forbearance of
woman to endure. Who can wonder that, in such
circumstances, they should sometimes feel like fight-
ing? "Who could think it strange if, under such
wrongs and oppressions, so merciless and so oft re-
peated, they had actually taken up arms and fought
like heroes ? This they did not do, however ; but
occasionally, when an opportunity was presented,
they were ready to retaliate, or to make such re-
prisals as they could, which, if not very valuable,
showed their spirit, and were gratifying to their
feelings.

Among others who performed similar feats, was
Mrs. Mary Morgan, or, as she was generally called
in the neighborhood, Molly Morgan, the wife of
Thomas Morgan, and sister of the brave and

272 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

lamented Col. Forbis. They lived on the place now
owned and occupied by Robison Sloan, and about
two miles in a westward direction from her brother's
plantation.

While the British army lay encamped on tbe
plantation of Ralph Gorrell, Esq., who lived on the
south side of the south Buffalo creek, and the same
side on which Thomas Morgan lived, a party, under
the command of the proper officer, whether Tarleton
or one of subordinate grade is not now recollected,
went down the creek one day on a plundering expe-
dition. The plantation of Col. Paisley was the prin-
cipal scene of their depredations; but others that
lay on their route or contiguous to his, were not
neglected.

On their return, they gave Mr. Morgan a call;
but he being a Whig, was from home. That, how-
ever, was a matter of little consequence, as their
main object was to get something that would "keep
soul and body together;" and the only difference
was, that if he had been there, he would have been
one item in the inventory of plundered articles, or
of slaughtered animals. This was a gratification
which they certainly did not have, and probably
did not expect ; but they took such as they could
get, though neither such nor so much as they
wanted.

The house and plantation had been plundered so
often already, that there was very little to be got ;
but even the scanty leavings of their friends and
allies, the Tories, or the poor little earnings of Mr.
and Mrs. Morgan, since the Tories had been there,

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 273

were better than nothing. The house was ran-
sacked from the cellar to the garret, though the
mother and helpless children might afterwards
starve, or perish with cold. The kitchen and
smoke-house, corn-crib and barn, were the subjects
of a similar visitation. Nothing was spared that
could be of service to man or beast; but while
they were thus engaged, without a thought about
their horses, Mrs. Morgan, who possessed in no
small degree the spirit of her brother, Col. Forbis,
taking the valise from the saddle of the command-
ing officer, dropped it in an inside corner of the
fence, among some high weeds, and a few panels
below the horse to which it belonged.

When they got ready to leave, the sun was nearly
down, and they had five or six miles to go. In the
hurry of the moment, the officer, mounting his
horse, and placing himself at the head of the troop,
rode off at half speed, and without ever thinking
of his valise. This was the only thing she could
do without being detected on the spot, which would
have subjected her to some ill treatment, while it
promised no advantage ; and in this she succeeded
well. On openiug the valise, it was found to be
full of fine linen shirts, collars, cravats, and other
articles, which, on the whole, were worth considera-
bly more than all they had taken from her.

Mrs. Eachel Denney.

Everybody has heard much about Irish wit ; and
no people in the world are more justly celebrated

271 RE VOLUTION" AKY INCIDENTS

than the Irish for this trait of character. Thousands
have writhed under it, and thousands more have
laughed at it, most heartily, without being able to
acquire the faculty or to imitate its productions.
The following reply of an old lady to a British
officer, during the war of the revolution, may per-
haps amuse the reader ; and this is the only purpose
for which it is here given.

While the British army lay encamped on the
plantation of William Kankin, who lived low down
on the North Buffalo, foraging parties, as usual,
were sent out every day and in all directions, taking
as much as they wanted wherever they could find
it, and often destroying what they could not carry
away. A party of this description, under the com-
mand of the proper officer, went one day to the
house of Walter Denney, an old Scotch-Irish-Pres-
byterian, highly esteemed in the neighborhood for
the consistency of his Christian character, and
withal, a genuine Whig, just as orthodox in his
political as in his religious creed. Of course, when
the British army was so near, he was from home,
and the officer in command could not have the
pleasure either of taking him prisoner or of insult-
ing him as a rebel. While the soldiers, under his
direction, were robbing the house, smoke-house and
kitchen, corn-crib and barn, he chose to sit there
and amuse himself with the old lady, while she was
compelled to look on, as patiently as she could, and
see her bread and meat, the blankets she had made
with her own hands, and all the most valuable

IN NOETH CAROLINA. 2<D

articles on the premises, seized by a ruthless band
of mercenary soldiers.

He commenced by asking her where her husband
was, to which she replied, that she did not know.
Well, if she did know, would she tell ? was the
next question, to which she flatly, but kindly an-
swered, no ; and no gentleman of honorable feelings
would ever ask or expect such a thing. When he
asked her again, if she was not afraid that he would
be caught and hung as a rebel ? she said, as he was
engaged in a good cause, he was in good hands, and
she hoped he would be protected. He then cursed
her very profanely, telling her that he believed the
women in that part of the country were as damned
rebels as the men, and that one -half of them, at
least, ought to be shot or hung, to all which she
made no reply.

After a little pause, on looking round and seeing
the Bible and hymn-book on the table, he remarked
to her, that he supposed the old man prayed every
day in his family. Yes, she said, when he was at
home, they generally had family worship. Well,
does he ever pray for King George ? was the next
question which was asked with rather a sneering,
haughty air ; and to this she made no direct reply.
He then said, he must pray for King George, and
she must tell him so. Without saying yea or nay,
very positively, she intimated, with some indiffer-
ence of manner, that perhaps a good man might
pray for the salvation of his soul, but not for the
success of his arms; for he had sinned so long and
so much, that there was very little encouragement

276 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

to pray even for his salvation, and to pray for the
success of his arms when they were employed to
oppress the unoffending and to enforce obedience to
unrighteous authority, would be praying in direct
opposition to the instructions of the Bible, which
would be as offensive to God as it would be useless
to man. He then told her that he must pray for
the king or be treated as a rebel. Ah, indeed, said
the old woman, he has been denounced as a rebel
long ago, and no thanks to you nor King George
either, that he still lives to defend his country.
"Well," said he, "do you tell him that he must
pray for King George to-night, or whenever he
prays in his family, for I intend to come or send
men to ascertain, and if he does not, I will have him
taken and hung up to the limb of that oak tree in
the yard. " Aye, faith," said the old lady, with an
air of perfect nonchalance, and in her peculiar Irish
manner, " Aye faHh, an! monny a prayer has been
toasted upon King George."

The young hero, on looking at the sun, said to
the men, it was high time they were returning to
camp ; and so, gathering up what plunder they had,
without waiting for any more, though Mr. Denney
had an abundance of everything, they moved off in
very quick time, the lieutenant not feeling any
better satisfied with himself than he wished.

Mrs. Sarah Logan.

In every pursuit and in all the departments of
human interest there are different ways of attaining

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 277

the same end. What one nation will seek to accom-
plish only by open force another will effect by policy
or negotiation. Sometimes one is necessary and
sometimes the other. Often it is necessary that both
should be combined, and then the most advanta-
geous results are obtained of which the nation is
capable ; but we always feel the highest admiration
when the same end is accomplished by mind alone,
or when reparation of injuries and security against
injustice or oppression are attained, not by the low
arts of falsehood and intrigue, but by a wise and
politic negotiation. We could easily take their
lands from the Indians by the power of the sword,
but it has always been deemed less expensive and
more honorable to obtain them by purchase.

What we find in nations we find in individuals,
for nations are composed of individuals. When
one man will stand firm and undismayed another
will cower and be completely unmanned. There are
all possible degrees of intellectual capacity, from
perfect idiocy up to the most gigantic powers, so
there are of moral courage and physical energy ;
and what one man would think of doing only by
muscular power or by a stern, overbearing, resolute
manner, another will accomplish equally well by
his superior intelligence and address. So we find
among women a similar diversity of mental and
moral power, of intelligence and firmness, of fore-
sight, promptitude and energy; but in all cases,
even those in which the most intrepid courage, the
clearest discernment, the most entire self-possession,
the utmost promptitude and energetic resolution
19

278 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

are displayed, all the traits of female character are
conspicuous.

During the troublous times of the Bevolutionary
war the Whig portion of the female community
shared with their fathers and brothers, husbands
and sons, in the privations, perils and sufferings in-
cident to the times. In some cases nothing less
than the most inflexible courage, and the most
prompt and energetic action, even to the use of
physical force, could be of any avail ; but in others,
superior intelligence and shrewdness with a womanly
dignity of manner and a proper use of the tongue
gained a signal and honorable triumph, of which
the lady whose name stands at the head of this arti-
cle, Mrs. Sarah Logan, may be given as an example.
Her character cannot be better described in a few
words than by saying, in the common language of
the country, that she was " a real smart woman,"
that is to say she was a woman of superior mind, of
great energy, of sound principles, and endowed with
all the nobler qualities of the heart. She never was
at a loss for something to say, and what she had to
say was always appropos. She could use her tongue
or her hands with equal facility, and always used
both to a very good purpose. In wit or repartee,
among her acquaintance, she feared no one, and her
good sense and kindness of disposition were at all
times so predominant as to secure the good will of
everybody. No matter in what circumstances she
was placed she never seemed to be at a loss for ex-
pedients, and in going through the daily routine of

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 279

lier duties everything was well done and done with
more than ordinary despatch.

Although a native of this state, she lived, after
her marriage, in one of the upper districts of South
Carolina and not far from the dividing line. Her
character, which was uniformly the same in all
situations, was severely tried during the war and
her mental resources were often taxed to the very
utmost ; but inflexibly Whig as she was in her prin-
ciples, and ardently patriotic in her feelings, her
good sense, her ready wit, and her energy of char-
acter, carried her through every trial, and enabled
her to meet every peril with entire success. Of this,
the following incident, the only one we shall relate,
though many others of a similar kind occurred, may
be taken as an illustration.

On a cold frosty morning in November, some
four or five Tories, knowing that her husband, who
was a Whig, was from home, came there for the
purpose of plunder. She knew them well by name
and by character. She had seen them too, often
enough ; but, as they were not at all of her class, she
never had any intercourse with them. As soon as
they appeared in the lane she understood their busi-
ness at once ; and, knowing perfectly well from their
character, that her only chance to secure herself
against their depredations would be by stratagem,
she immediately began to revolve in her mind some
scheme by which she could disappoint them of their
object without exciting their angry or vindictive
passions ; nor did her fertility of invention or her
presence of mind forsake her on the present occasion.

280 EEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS

When they rode up, they hitched their horses to
the fence, which was within a few feet of the house,
and went in without any ceremony. She met them
at the door; and, without betraying the least emotion
of fear or resentment, received them very courteously
and with apparent sincerity set chairs for them and
asked them to be seated, inquiring very kindly
about the health of their families, and of the neigh-
borhood. Then remarking that as they had come
some distance in such a frosty morning they must
be cold, she asked them if they would not sit nearer
to the fire ; at the same time calling for more wood,
she had a rousing fire made ; and in short treated
them with full as much courtesy and kindness, as
if they had been her particular friends.

Perhaps most of my readers know that, when
those who lived far back in the country, married
and settled upon a small patrimony, they generally
went at first into a small log house, with only one
room below, which served for both parlor and bed-
room, and one above as a lodging room for visitors.
They expected that in such a house they could be
comfortable and contented for a few years, and they
hoped that by the blessing of Providence on their
industry and economy, they would be able, after
a while, to get a better one. Every body knows too
that in a house of this description on a farm consid-
erable mud and dust will be every hour of the day
deposited on the floor, in spite of all the care that
can be taken ; and that if it were swept clean on
going to bed, the bringing in of wood and water in
the morning would renew the deposit. Mrs. Logan,

IX NORTH CAROLINA. 281

having been only a few years married, was still
living in such a house, and this must be borne in
mind.

Seemingly desirous of standing as fair as possible
in the estimation of her new friends, she made a
good many apologies for the condition in which they
had found her house, and stated that although it was
her practice to have it swept and put in order early
in the morning, she had been prevented from doing
so that morning, by a sick child, but that as she had
just commenced as they rode up, if they would be
kind enough to excuse her a little she would finish
in two or three minutes, and then they would be
more comfortable. So saying, she plied the broom
with so much force and rapidity that it raised a
tremendous dust, and she was very sorry to give
them so much annoyance; but proceeding with her
work, she drew off the bed covering and tossed up
the bed to enliven the feathers ; then taking a sheet
or bed-spread and skimming out on the door step,
gave it two or three great flurries as if to shake off
any dust that might have settled on it, making it
rattle every time and spread out to its full length
and breadth in the air. This frightened the horses
at the fence so that every one of them broke his
bridle and ran as if a fire brand had been tied to his
tail, each one taking a different direction and run-
ning for dear life,

Of course the men took after their horses ; for
they were worth more than all the plunder they ex-
pected to get, and they could not take away any
thing of much value without them ; and as they

282 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

went out she was " very sorry" — "what a pity," —
but if they ever got their horses it was not in time
to return that day and she never saw anything more
of them. A similar treatment of the Tories from
the first and universally, so far as practicable, would
have greatly diminished their number and made
the others more manageable ; for it is always better
to overcome men with kindness than to subdue
them by violence.

Mrs. Elizabeth McGraw.

The following incident, for which I am indebted
to J. F. Graves, Esq., of Mount Airy, was thought
to be well worth preserving as an additional illus-
tration of the disordered state of things then
existing in the country, of the privations and
perils to which the families of Whigs, especially
in those regions where they were comparatively
few in number, were continually liable from the
ruthless spirit of the Tories, and of the ingenuity
often displayed by wives and mothers to save their
little property from spoiliation, and their friends from
capture and protracted suffering, if not from instant
death. Mrs. McCraw's maiden name was Waller,
a daughter of George Waller, of Henry county,
Ya. Her husband, Jacob McCraw, was a decided
and active Whig. She lived until her death, which
occurred about 1836, in the neighborhood of Mount
Airy, and, therefore, although the account rests on
tradition, there is little doubt that it is entirely
reliable.

IN" NORTH CAROLINA. 283

u I need not tell you," says Mr. Graves, " that the
Tories were very troublesome during the ' Old
War,' (as our old people termed it,) in this section
of the State. Their predatory bands did not fail,
at some time or other, to ransack and plunder
every Whig habitation in the whole country ; and,
of course, old Jacob McCraw's did not escape. On
a very cold night, the old man being from home,
and no white person on the premises, save the old
woman, the Tory party which prowled through the
neighborhood determined to pay her a visit. So
soon as she became aware of their approach, she
made all the negroes who were able to go, run off
and hide themselves, while she rolled the little
ones up in some tow, which had just been hackled
from the flax that day, dressed and put them in the
closet. She was scarcely over putting up her tow,
when the Tories came in. They ransacked almost
every nook and corner in search of the valuables,
but they failed to find the little negroes stowed
away in the closet, After having searched for and
found, as they supposed, every other valuable, they
went to the old lady's cupboard, and took down
her shining rows of pewter plates, and cutting
holes through the rims, they ran a hickory withe
through them and carried them off. Many } r ears
afterwards, the old woman happening to be at a
neighbor's house, actually ate her dinner out of her
own pewter plates w T ith the holes through the

284 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

Miss Ann Fergus.

Most of my readers have, no doubt, some know-
ledge, from general history, of the horrors attending
a battle, and of the ravages made by an invading
army when marching through the country, or even
when stationary in the occupation of some important
post; but many of them are perhaps not aware that
in such cases, especially when quartered in a town,
though in the midst of dangers, and meet death staring
them in the face on every side, are or try to be a very
"jolly set of fellows ;" that they pride themselves on
their gallantry and polite attention to the ladies. I
once saw it stated in some history, that at the great
battle of Waterloo, many of the British officers of
high rank were in the town, and attending a ball,
some of them on the floor, and floating in the mazes
of the dance, when they heard the roar of cannon as
the first announcement of the approaching conflict,
and at that moment a summons came from the com-
mander-in-chief to repair to their respective com-
mands. Instantly, making the ladies a polite bow,
and bidding them good evening, mounted their
horses, and dashed off to the field of carnage.

While Major Craig was in occupation of Wil-
mington, he and his officers, among other modes of
diversion, were fond of attending as many balls
and social parties as they could ; and on these occa-
sions things frequently occurred which were quite
amusing, some of which still live in the traditions
of the country. The following anecdote, for which

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 285

I am indebted to Mr. Gk J. M'Cree, of Wilmington,
and which is therefore perfectly reliable, though
merely of the ludicrous kind, was deemed rather
too good to be lost.

Miss Ann Fergus was a young lady of superior
intellect, of good education, and polished manners.
She was of a Scotch family, which was wealthy,
and of high standing in the social circle. Tall and
graceful in her person, she was considerably above
the medium height ; for she stood full five feet ten
inches, in her stocking feet, and as that was the age
of high heels, when thus elevated, as she would be
at a party, her height might be fairly estimated at
six feet. She had at this time, a brother, and pos-
sibly a sweetheart in the American army. At a
party one evening, a number of British officers
were present, and among them w r as one who was a
very small man, but by no means deficient in self-
esteem, which showed itself in his deportment ; for
he "pestered the ladies not a little, with his gallan-
tries, impertinence, and presumption." In the
course of the evening, he stepped up to Miss Fer-
gus, and asked her for a kiss. Yery gravely, and
perhaps with some little hauteur, she told him " Yes,
he might have one, if he could take it without get-
ting upon a stool. Instantly the little fellow tiptoed
and stretched his neck, but as he did so, she too,
raised herself to her full height, and he ' couldn't
come it.' The effect was so extremely ludicrous,
that the attention of the whole company was at-
tracted, and the ridicule was absolutely overwhelm-
ing. Completely abashed and chapfallen, he fled in

286 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

confusion, and never afterwards approached an
American lady."

Mrs. Margaret Caruthers.

On every occurrence of disappointment or adver-
sity we are reminded that no one knows what
he can do until he is tried ; and this is cer-
tainly true; but it is equally true that in the
ordinary course of things, especially in a country
like ours, so peaceful and so prosperous, no one is
tried to the full extent of his powers.

His fortitude may be tried by the endurance of
bodily pain or mental anguish, his patience may be
tried by the provocations of the malicious, or the
changes of fortune, his uprightness and fidelity, his
generosity and all the qualities of the heart may be
tried by the social and business intercourse of life ;
but all the mental resources and moral energies are
fully tested only by great and sudden emergencies
when important interests are at stake, or when life
itself is menaced. There is nothing which more ex-
cites our admiration than to see any one manifesting
a firmness, discretion and promptness, so as to be
triumphant in circumstances of great peril or of
great provocation suddenly occurring, and beyond
his control ; and especially in those whose delicacy,
reserve and comparative weakness lead them to
shrink from the turmoils and scenes of conflict
which require the sterner attributes of our nature.
In such cases it is the triumph not of physical force,
stimulated and directed by ambition or by a spirit

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 287

of revenge ; but of moral power, of conscious recti-
tude, and of simple devotion to great and sacred
principles. Even when physical strength is obliged
to be in some measure employed it is in a way
which shows the absence of malice, revenge or
even of heroic pride, but the dignity of the woman,
and the nobler qualities of the heart are always the
most prominent. The names of many such women
adorn the pages of history, and every act display-
ing extraordinary firmness, promptitude and mag-
nimity on occasions of imminent peril, or of wanton
cruelty and injustice deserve to be recorded.

Of the lady whose name stands at the head of this
article, Mrs. Margaret Caruthers, but little is known.
Her maiden name was Gillespie, and she was a na-
tive of Lancaster county, in Pennsylvania. She and
her husband James Caruthers, were among the first
settlers in the middle region of North Carolina. She
had four sons and several daughters ; and they all
became respectable citizens and consistent members
of the church. During the revolutionary war, three
of her sons were more or less in the service of their
country ; and her oldest son, Robert, was a partizan
officer, with the title of Captain, whether given to
him by the regular authorities, or gratuitously by
his friends and the men who served under him, is
not known to the writer ; but he was a very active,
enterprising officer, and was almost constantly out
on duty. The youngest son was kept at home to
take care of his parents and attend to the farm ; and
he was killed by some Tories in disguise of Indians.
Of this they had only circumstantial proof; but that

288 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

was very strong. He had gone over in the morning
to a neighbor's house, about two miles distant, on an
errand, and expected to return in a short time.
There was a small creek on the plantation and
almost in sight of the house. When on his return,
some men, painted and dressed like Indians, having
concealed themselves in the lower grounds, shot him
as he was crossing the creek. They had either got
some intimation of his having gone to this neigh-
bor's, or were merely lying in ambush until he
would come out to work in the field. The report
of the gun was heard at the house, and their suspi-
cions were immediately excited. The mother and
a daughter or two who were still living with her
went in search, and found him lying on the bank of
the creek, dead, scalped and the bloody knife with
which it was done lying on the ground by his head.
The knife had the name of one of the neighbors cut
on the handle ; and it was supposed that, in the agi-
tation of the moment, arising from the fear of detec-
tion, and the remorse of a guilty conscience, he had
forgotten the knife. lie was not a very near neigh-
bor, but lived some three or four miles distant.
They never had any neighborhood intercourse ; but
ever after, if he met any of the family, his counte-
nance betrayed a consciousness of guilt, and he
shunned them if possible.

This was hard for a mother to bear in her circum-
stances, for in addition to all the other privations
and hardships of those troublous times, from the
summer of 1780, when the British overrun South
Carolina, until near the close of the war, her other

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 289

sons were in camp, her husband, though not so old
as to be infirm, was passed the age for military duty,
and must either be with some armed body of Whigs
or keep himself in some place of concealment; her
youngest son, the support and solace of her old age,
now so basely and inhumanly murdered, and she
left without a protector, and exposed to the ravages
of the Tories, who were as regardless of justice and
humanity as they were of patriotism and honor, all
this seemed like filling her cup of affliction to the
brim, but she bore it all with great fortitude and
equanimity.

At this distance of time, not much is known of
her history, except that she was highly respected
among her acquaintances; that she was a woman of
great firmness and energy of character, and that she
had as much of "the spirit of 76," perhaps, as any
other woman in the country. In whatever situation
she was placed, however embarrassing and even
appalling were the circumstances, she was never so
surprised or intimidated as to lose her self-possession,
but saw at once what was to be done, and she was
as resolute and prompt in executing her plan. Of
this, the following incident may be taken as an
illustration, and in sudden and trying emergencies,
one act often furnished as good a test of native cha-
racter as a whole life.

Not long after the unprovoked and cold-blooded
murder of her youngest son, two Tories who lived
in the neighborhood, and knew that she was left
without a protector, came to her house one morning
for the purpose of plunder. She had in the stable,

290 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

a young black mare, large, handsomely-formed, and
highly valued for her qualities. Of course she was
the first object to be secured, and bringing her out
of the stable, they hitched her to the limb of a shade
tree at the west end of the house. The next move
was to gather and pack up what they could find in
or about the house, such as meat, flour, blankets
and other articles, and then they went into the corn-
crib to fill their bags with corn.

The crib was then constructed very much as it is
on most plantations at the present day. It was an
oblong structure made of small logs, about a rod
long, five or six feet wide, and seven or eight feet
high from the floor, more or less, according to the
quantity which the owner wished it to contain. In
the front was an opening about sixteen or eighteen
inches squares, just so large that a mill bag when
filled with corn could be drawn through end fore-
most. When going in or out, the owner was
obliged to proceed somewhat longitudinally, head
foremost ; and when going out, especially, he thrust
out one leg first, then his head, and with his body
laid beside the projecting limb, forced himself
through with the other leg resting on the floor, and,
at the same time, as it was raised a foot or two
above the ground, held by the side with the left
hand, lest when the centre of gravity passed the sill,
he might go faster and further than he wanted-
Whilst these robbers, having thus entered, were
busy in filling their bags, she was busy in making
arrangements to disappoint them.

In the first place she took the black mare round

IX NORTH CAROLINA. 291

to the backside of the house, and locked her up in
the cellar, the house being all the time between her
and the crib. She had a stick of hickory wood in
the chimney corner, which had been blocked out
for an axe-handle, and put there to season. It was
about double as large and heavy as when dressed
for use ; and in those times when clearing was a
regular winter business, every farmer always kept
one, and sometimes two or three, of these pieces of
timber in the corner that they might be seasoned
and ready when needed. She took this cudgel,
and keeping it concealed under her long apron,
went to the corner of the crib, where she stood
perfectly still and quiet till they were coming out,
when she applied it with sufficient energy, and to
very good purpose. By first taking the one on the
ground, before he had fairly recovered his upright
position, and then the other while doubled up in
the door in such a position that he could neither
regress nor egress with any dispatch, she belabored
them so effectually that she prevented any retalia-
tion, and made them glad to get away alive. It
was not her design to kill them, but to get clear
of them ; and in this she succeeded so completely,
that they crawled off the best way they could,
without their plunder, and troubled her no more.

Miss Margaret McBride.

Among the Scotch-Irish, who first settled in Guil-
ford, was Hantz McBride, a man of good character,
steady habits and respectable standing in his neigh-

292 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

borhood. He lived and died on the place where he
first settled, which was seven or eight miles, south
by east, from the present town of Greensboro', and
midway between the Alamance and Buffalo creeks,
where the two streams are about three miles apart.

Being a member of Dr. Caldwell's congregation,
he was, of course, a Whig in the Revolutionary war
and, from first to last, did what he could to support
the cause of Independence. He was too old to be
on the muster list, but, as he was known to have
taken an active part, when the British army or any
embodiment of the Tories was about, he found it
necessary to keep out of the way. His family was
large and mostly daughters, but, whether sons or
daughters, they were all Whigs and some of them
were so enthusiastic in the cause that they deserve
to be remembered. His son Isaiah, the oldest of
the family and, if I mistake not, his only son, served
two or three campaigns and was regarded as a man
of courage and firmness.

In the summer of 1781, when the Tories were
so troublesome, his daughter Margaret, or Maggie, as
she was familiarly called in the family and neigh-
borhood, was about thirteen or fourteen and pretty
well grown for one of that age. Though without
the advantages of education or intelligent society,
she was a girl of strong native sense and, having
never been in the school of old William Penn, she
was not much disposed to be grave or taciturn.
There was nothing about her that was at all incon-
sistent with the modesty and delicacy of her sex ;
but she would have some opinion of her own on

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 2 9S

almost every subject and would generally take the
liberty of saying just what she thought. When
men or older people were present she was silent, as
became her, and paid a respectful attention, but
when with her co-evals, and especially those of her
own sex, they were not apt to complain of having a
" Quaker meeting." In short, she was one of those
girls who love everybody and fear nobody, who are
so sprightly and fascinating, so frank and open
hearted, so generous and confiding, that no one can
be their enemy, and every one who makes their
acquaintance becomes a friend. Of course, she was
just the girl to be enthusiastic in the cause of free-
dom, and there was not a warmer advocate of Inde-
pendence in the whole country. She would never
drink a drop of tea while the world stood — not she,
if it implied an admission that the English, or any
other nation, had a right to tax us at their pleasure,
and she would live on bread and water all the time,
if necessary, that the men who were fighting for
their country might be fed and clothed until the
" red coats," the slaves of arbitrary power, were all
driven from our shores. When among her associ-
ates or youthful acquaintances she could reason with
no little cogency and declaim with a force and pro-
priety that would have done credit to an older head.
For the Whigs she had the highest regard, and
gloried in the name, but a Tory was her abhorrence.
To the north and north-west of M'Bride's, was a
small tract of country lying between the two Buf
falo creeks, four or five miles in width, and ten o:
twelve in length. It included the present site c
20

294: REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

Greensboro', and extended on both sides of the
Hillsboro' road, to the Buffalo bridge. Then, and
for years after, the whole region was a wilderness,
and not unlike a western prairie. Nobody lived on
it, and there were no roads through it, except such
as served for occasional intercourse between the two
settlements, north and south. The only growth of
timber was the pine, and trees of this description
were then neither very large nor thick t on the
ground ; but from the fact that the pine was the
principal growth, it was called the " Pine Woods,"
or "Pine Barrens." If any persons made it their
home, they were probably thieves or renegades, and
must have shared their covert with the wild beasts,
or sheltered themselves in wigwams, covered with
leaves and pine bark, like the Indians. No man of
any respectability ever thought of building or set-
tling himself there with a family, because the soil
was deemed too thin for cultivation, and it was
valued only as a place of range, or pasturage for
cattle. So rich were its resources in this respect,
that for a number of years, stock of every kind
could live on it, and keep in good order through
the winter, without any care or attention from the
owners. In the summer, it was covered with a
dense coat of grass and pea vines, waist high ; and
the farmers, north and south, never thought of
having any meadow at home, but came over at the
proper season, into the Barrens, and made as much
hay as they wanted for the winter.

For some distance along the sides there were oc-
casional rivulets, which, being fed by springs from

IN NORTH CAROLINA . 295

the higher ground, were permanent ; but most of
it was a poor sandy ridge, and destitute of water.
It was, however, occasionally intersected with
Black-jack glades, which were certainly not very
inviting ; but then there were some spots that were
like oases in the desert ; hollows, or depressions of
small depth, through which a stream of water ran,
for three or four months in the winter, and although
they were dry in the summer, there was a moisture,
which produced a different growth. In places, for
several rods in diameter, they were densely covered
with such growth as the maple, elm, and sweet
gum. The margins were lined with alders, wild
briers, and other shrubbery. The trees were richly
festooned with grape-vines, mostly the Fox and
Muscadine, which were very luxuriant, and with
their broad, thick leaves, completely shut out the
rays of the sun, so that, altogether, it formed a
perfect jungle, and a man, or any other object in
the inside, could not be seen by an outsider at any
distance. These places were delightful retreats
from the sultry heat of a summer's day ; so cool
and refreshing ; no human habitation within miles ;
no public highway to bring the traveller or the man
of business along, with his noise and bustle; nothing
to break the silence or disturb the repose. They
were the very places for the love-sick, the weary, or
the contemplative : but a man would be strongly
solicited to take a nap, if he could be free from all
apprehensions of danger. The rich clusters of
grapes hanging over his head, the humming of the
bees in the flowers, the carolling of the birds in

296 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

the trees, the pensive sounds of the pine tops as the
fitful breezes passed over them, which, if not so
variable, were quite as soothing and somniferous as
the tones of the iEolian harp, all invited to repose.

Here many a pack of wolves, before they were all
killed or driven from the country, held their mid-
night revels, their festive orgies and their delibera-
tive assemblies. Here, in these sequestered retreats,
it is said, the "Black-Jack Lodges" of Freemasons,
frequently held their meetings during the war ; and
here the mowers, from Buffalo and Alamance, in
the Dog-clays, when oppressed with the heat and
weary of toil, retired to rest awhile and drink their
grog and whet their scythes, and crack their jokes.

About the beginning of Autumn, in 1781, a small
body of Tories from the south side of Guilford, or
the north of Randolph, came up and pitched their
camp in one of these sequestered glades. Although,
they must be supported from the surrounding coun-
try, it does not appear that they had any design of
making war on the Whig settlements, for that
would have been madness ; but to keep themselves
concealed and to carry on their operations in secret.
The two congregations above mentioned, which
then included all who lived north and south of
these " Barrens," for miles in every direction, had
been, from the beginning, decided Whigs ; but
there were a few on the outskirts and along the
margin of this uninhabited region, as there were in
every community, who, though nominally Whigs ?
were so slack twisted that they could neither be
" pig all the time, nor pup all the time." In other

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 297

words, they could be very easily changed by flatter-
ing their vanity or by presenting a moderate bribe,
and the Tories in the "Barrens," having previously
had acquaintance with some of these families, were
exerting a very bad influence by visiting them in
the night, exciting in them prejudices against their
Whig neighbors, and offering them inducements to
come over on the King's side ; but this proceeding
could not be long concealed ; for those whom they
were trying to influence had neither good sense nor
prudence enough to keep their own secrets. Rumor,
with her thousand tongues, began to be busy over
the Whig settlements, every one having something
to say, wherever they met, about the Tories in the
" Barrens," and the influence they were exerting on
such and such families.

Something must be done, and, in a little time a
troop of horsemen were ready to go in pursuit ; but
no one knew just where to look for them. To ven-
ture into that wilderness, at night and without a
guide, seemed to be very uncertain business, and no
definite information, as to their whereabouts, had
yet been obtained ; but there was a kind of vague
rumor that they were in the south-east part of the
"barrens," and it was supposed that McBride's
family would be more likely than any other to give
them the desired information. Accordingly they
took up the line of march for his house and arrived
there some time after dark. McBride himself was
of course, from home ; but his wife and daughter
Maggy, with the younger children, were there.
Riding up to the gate, the captain called, and Mrs.

298 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS

McBride going to the door, asked what they wanted.
To this no direct answer was given ; but he remarked,
if he was not mistaken they were Whigs, good and
true, and that he might consider himself as talking
to friends. Certainly, she said, and, if he was a
Whig he had nothing to fear on that score. He then
asked her if there was any person in the house or
on the premises who was disposed to favor the
Tories ? and she replied that if there was she was
not aware of it. Again, he asked if she knew
whether there was a Tory camp any where in the
" Piney Woods?" and she told him that she had
understood so. How for to the place, was the next
inquiry, and the answer was, about two miles. He
then asked if she could give him such directions
that he could find the road, adding that he wanted
to get there as soon as possible and see if he could
not teach them better than to come and make their
quarters in a Whig region. She told him she could
try ; but, as it was only a path or bye-way, inter-
sected by other paths, and had several forks branch-
ing off in different directions, it would be difficult
to find especially in the night. However, she went
on to give him the best direction she could ; and as
she proceeded he was often interrupting her to ask
for explanations or repetitions so as to get every
thing well fixed in his mind.

During this time, little Maggy was standing at her
mother's elbow, a little back and off to one side, just
far enough to have a full view of the men at the
gate ; and, in her anxiety for the success of the en-
terprise, with hardly a thought of what she was

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 299

doing, occasionally added a word, by way of caution,
or for the purpose of preventing mistakes ; but what
she had to say was directed to her mother. When-
ever she thought her mother was not exactly correct
or not sufficiently explicit, she would say, "Mother,
you know that at the fork, on the top of the hill be-
yond our branch, there is another left hand path
going up into the Butter road, and Squire Gorrell's,
they might take that. Then, at the next fork, would
it not be better for them to keep the left hand until
they pass a black-jack glade, and then take the
right ? It's a better road and will be more easily
found." At length, the Captain, observing how
much interest she took in the matter, said to her,
with a great deal of courtesy, and in his kindest
manner, " Well, now, my little Miss, couldn't you
go along to show us the way?" Such a proposal
rather startled her at first ; and, after a pause, during
which her active mind, with electric quickness, was
busied with the reasons why she should not consent,
just as all ladies instinctively weigh every objection
before they ever think of any thing in favor of a
proposal, she said it would not be proper for a young
girl like her to go off in the night with a company
of men who were perfect strangers to her. Then, if
they should find the Tories and get to fighting —
what could she do? How would she get home?
and what would be the consequence, or what would
be said over the country, if it should become known,
that she had conducted a company of Whigs to the
Tory camp in the night ? These considerations
would have determined her to stay at home ; but the

300 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

Captain seeing that she was half inclined to go, and
was kept back only by her modesty or sense of pro-
priety, renewed his request and pressed the matter,
by telling her how much it would be for the credit
as well as for the peace of the neighborhood to have
them driven out ; how anxious he was to find their
camp that night, as he had come all the way for the
purpose ; and by assuring her that she should neither
suffer any harm nor be subjected to any reproach
for such a step. She finally consented and said, she
reckoned she could go ; but they must promise her
first that they would not fire on the Tories until she
got out of sight ; for if they should ever find out
that she had conducted a troop of Whigs to their
camp, they would be certain to kill her. The Cap-
tain, knowing very well that, if he could surprise
them in their camp before they were aware of his
approach, they would not be likely to trouble her
or any body else in that region, told her, Very
well, he would see to that, and she need be under no
apprehensions of injury from them.

The arrangement made was for her to ride behind
him on his horse until they came in sight of the
place, when she was to take the back track herself;
for it would be out of the question for him to take
care of her in the melee of battle and in the dark-
ness of the night ; but her resolution was adequate
to anything, when so much was at stake, and when
she saw that her services were of so much impor-
tance. Without further delay, therefore, she put on her
bonnet, stepped up on the low fence before the door
and jumping on behind the Captain, they all dashed

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 301

off at half speed. She had not seen the encamp-
ment, nor had she been nearer to it than her father's
house. She would have gone as readily towards a
den of wolves ; but, some how or other she had
learned where it was and knew the place perfectly
well, for she had been there many a time when
hunting the cows in the summer evenings with the
younger children, and had always admired it as a
place so cool, retired and silent that one might
dream of love as much as he pleased or give full
play to the imagination on any subject without
interruption.

When they had got so near that the sound of the
horses' feet might be heard at the encampment they
reined up and went with as much silence as possible-
As they drew near, Maggy was straining her neck
and looking over the Captain's shoulder to get a
glimpse of the once pleasant but now hated spot.
Presently she exclaimed, " Yonder they are," and
jumped to the ground. Then, taking the back track
with the lightness of a gazelle, she never relaxed her
efforts until she found herself again at home, all
safe and well pleased with what she had dtfne. But
as soon as she alighted from the horse, the men
all dashed forward at fall speed and surrounding the
camp to the utter surprise and confusion of their
enemies, gave them a full broadside as the first
salutation.

Poor Maggy had not run many rods until she
heard the report of some twenty or thirty pistols
and the clashing of swords, mingled with the shouts
of the assailants and the cries of the assailed, but

302 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

this only served to accelerate her speed. It was
like giving her wings and a favoring breeze in the
direction of home. On entering the house, with an
exulting heart and panting for breath, her first
utterance was, " Well, mother, those miserable
Tories have got a lesson to-night which they will
not soon forget, and I hope they will no longer be
a pest and a reproach to the country," " Why, my
daughter, you didn't stay to see what was done?"
" Why, mother, as soon as we came in sight, I
jumped down and started back as hard as I could,
but I had come a very little distance — it didn't
seem to be a minute — 'till I heard ever so many
guns, and then such slashing and hallooing, — you
never heard the like. I just know the ugly things
are used up, and we shall now be clear of them.
Well, I do feel sorry for them after all — really
sorry. Just think how they will be cut up and run
off like as many sheep-killing dogs ; but then they
had no business to be Tories. If they are so mean
and pusillanimous that they want to be slaves or
foot-pads to King George, let them not stay here
and try to make us as degraded as themselves, but
go to his own country and serve him there. We
have no use for them here and I am so glad they
are gone." And Maggy was right in her conjec-
ture; for in a very few minutes, they were used up,
sure enough, being either killed or put to flight ;
and the "Pine Barrens" of Guilford were no more
infested with such vermin.

In a few years after the close of the war, Miss
Maggy consented to change her name, as in duty

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 303

bound to do ; and having become a wife, and pro-
mised obedience to her husband, she was borne
away from the home of her youth with the tide of
westward emigration. What good or bad fortune
fell to her lot in the far West, we have not learned,
but have no doubt that she spent many a pleasant
hour in thinking of the night when she conducted a
troop of Whigs to the Tory camp in the " Pine
Barrens" of Old Guilford, and we hope that she had
at least a competent share in the prosperity and
happiness which have been everywhere and so
increasingly enjoyed as the result of that freedom
and independence which were so much the object
of her youthful aspirations.

The face of these " Barrens," has been very much
changed since the days of " Auld lang syne" and,
so far as appearance is concerned, greatly for the
worse. The hunting and hay-making, the copses
and jungles, the fragrance of flowers and the music
of birds have all passed away like the airy fabric
of a vision ; over a great part of the territory a
different growth of timber has sprung up, more
dense, and more useful, perhaps, but not so lofty or
so imposing in its appearance ; every where you
may see evidence of desolation, or rather of transi-
tion — old pine logs decaying and stript of their
bark, lying cross and pile in every direction, and
staring you in the face with as much deformity and
grimace as if they were relicts of Noah's flood ; and
in many places, where once the tall waving grass
and brilliant flowers, blooming in all the wild fra-
grance of nature, seemed to form one grand parterre^

304 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

you now see only briers and brambles and old sedge
grass ; but amidst it all, there are already symptoms
of a brighter day. Here and there you find com-
fortable dwellings and contented families, more
inviting than pine groves or vine-clad bowers. The
voice of the bridegroom and the bride is heard, more
joyous than the carols of birds or the excitements
of the chase; and under the hand of industry, with
a spirit of enterprise, and guided by science, golden
harvests may soon wave over all the present desola-
tions, and the whole become as "a well watered
garden." Through the very midst of this territory,
where, only two or three generations ago, the wild
Indian roamed in quest of game, or made the
frightful war-whoop ring over hill and dale, the
great Central Eailroad has taken its course ; and
already that terrible monster, the iron horse, is
daily rushing along in all his fury, bearing, as on
the wings of the wind, the impatient lover to his
destined goal, and the plodding merchant to the
place of his gains, and ten thousand others, of both
sexes and of all ages, with their respective aims and
ends to be accomplished.

Mrs. Martha Bell.

If mind is essentially active, as all admit, its
achievements must be in proportion to its vigor;
and all its developments will be modified by the
circumstances in which it is placed. Superiority of
intellect, whether in man or woman, generally be-
comes manifest by the control which it has over

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 305

other minds, and by the result of its action, whether
of a selfish or a beneficient kind. Intellectual
powers of a high order, when under the influence
of selfish or malignant passions, are productive only
of evil ; but when controlled in their operation by
integrity, patriotism, generosity and all the nobler
qualities of the heart, their possessor becomes a
benefactor to his race, and secures the gratitude and
veneration of prosperity.

There is perhaps as great a diversity of intel-
lectual and moral qualities among women as among
men ; and extraordinary endowments of both,
united in the same individual, are probably about
as frequent on the one side as on the other. The
circumstances may not be always as favorable for
their development ; but wherever superior intelli-
gence and moral worth exist they ought to be
acknowledged, and wherever important services
have been rendered to the cause of truth and
humanity, they ought to be remembered.

It is believed that there were as many females in
the Old North State as in any other, who, for their
sacrifices, their sufferings, and their patriotic ser-
vices, deserve an honorable notice in history, as in
any one of the " Old Thirteen ;" and among the
number was the lady whose name we have placed
at the head of this article. The information we
have respecting her is not only limited and defec-
tive, but is becoming every year more slender and
unreliable. Those who knew her during the active
part of her life, have all, with one or two exceptions,
already gone to that "bourne from whence no tra-

306 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

veller returns;" but most of the facts contained in
the following sketch were obtained by the writer a
number of years ago, from old people in her neigh-
borhood, some of whom had known her most of her
life, and others had become acqauinted with her only
a few years after the revolutionary war. They
may, therefore, be regarded as, in the main, true
and reliable.

She was born and raised in the south side of
Orange, or probably of what is now Alamance
county ; but the precise spot is not known with any
degree of certainty, Her maiden name was Mc-
Farlane, and, from this alone, it might be inferred
that she was of Scotch or of Scotch-Irish descent.
Some eight or ten years before the Revolutionary
war, though the precise date is not recollected, she
married Col. John McGee, a young widower with
two children, and in affluent circumstances. lie
lived on the waters of Sandy Creek, in the north.
side of Randolph county, where he owned large
quantities of valuable land, mill, &c. He also kept
a country store and was a man of more business
than any other in that part of the country. About
the beginning of the Avar, or soon after, he died
and she was left a widow with five children, three
sons and two daughters. Two of her sons became
preachers, one a Presbyterian, the other a Methodist ;
and all her children became members of the church,
some in one and some in another of the different
denominations then in the country. Her second
son, William McGee, became a Prcsb} T terinn, and

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 307

was one of those who composed the Cumberland
Presbytery at its organization.

After the death of her husband, being the richest
widow any where in that region, she was much
sought after, especially by the young widowers and
middle-aged bachelors; and it was then said that
she was " a little haughty," but this probably origi-
nated with those who could not succeed in gaining
her affections.

On the 6th of May, 1779, she married William
Bell, a widower, who owned a mill on Deep river,
where he lived, about a mile above the ford at which
the road, now leading from Greensboro' to Ashboro',
crosses the river, and there was her residence for
the remainder of her life. She was not, at any time
remarkable for personal beauty nor for the opposite,
but was what, in common parlance, is called " a
good-looking woman." There was nothing about
her that could be regarded as masculine and noth-
ing in her deportment, ordinarily, that was at all
inconsistent with the modesty and delicacy of her
sex; but she was a woman of strong mind, ardent
in her temperament and remarkably firm and reso-
lute in whatever she undertook, which just fitted
her for the trying scenes through which she was
called to pass.

Strong in her attachments, and equally so in her
dislikes, there could be no better friend, and no
more undesirable enemy ; but there was no woman
in the country who sustained a better character, or
who was more respected by all the better part of
the community. High-minded, conscious of her

308 PvEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS

integrity, and inflexible in her adherence to what
she believed to be right, she seemed to fear nothing
on earth except her Maker, and to desire nothing
so much as the universal prevalence of peace and
freedom, truth and righteousness. Although she
was not at this time a professor of religion, no
allurements could make her swerve from the path
of duty, and no menaces could terrify her into a
compliance with what was wrong. No matter how
great at any time were the perplexities or the perils
of her situation, her presence of mind never forsook
her, and she was never at a loss for expedients.
Her firmness and her energy were adequate to
every emergency ; and on every occasion of suffer-
ing or of clanger, though death seemed to stare
her in the face, she always came off triumphant.

" The following extract of a letter from General
Gray of Eandolph county, gives a good view of
Mrs. Bell's character, and will be read with interest.
He is one of the oldest men in the country, and
has a distinct recollection of many things which
occurred during the Eevolutionary War, but not-
withstanding his advanced age, his mental faculties
are very little, if at all, impaired. For intelligence,
probity and consistency of christian character, no
man stands higher in the community ; and as he
writes, in this case, from personal acquaintance, his
statements are perfectly reliable. The letter, which
is dated Feb. 24th, 1854, was written at my request,
and as it contains two or three other facts of
interest, we shall recur to it again ; but for the
present, we give only the part which is confirm-

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 309

atory of the statements above made. After observ-
ing that he writes in compliance with my request,
he says :

"I removed to Kandolph Court House in the
Spring of 1792, in the immediate vicinity of which
Mrs. Bell, and the most of the Whigs of that
county who had taken part in the war, resided ;
and from them I received all the information I am
able to give you. Those who lived in the south
and eastern parts of the county were mostly Tories,
under the control of Colonel Fanning, or remained
neutral from fear of him. Mr. Bell and his lady
were both true friends to the cause of their country,
and treated those who were engaged in its defence
with the greatest kindness, friendship and hospi-
tality ; but the name of a Tory they despised ; and
if they ever prayed for them, I think it must have
been such a prayer as David made in the 109th
Psalm.

" Mrs. Bell was much esteemed by those who
knew her. She had a tender feeling for the sick
and afflicted, administered to their wants, and, by
her medical skill and attention, relieved many with-
out fee or reward. She was a woman of strong
mind, good understanding and invincible spirit.
Alarms that would throw other females into fits only
stimulated her to greater exertion both of body and
mind ; and often without a moment's reflection, she
would point out what ought to be clone, which
seldom failed to answer the purpose and give the
necessary relief."

In proof that the above statements respecting her
21

310 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

character are not exaggerated or overwrought, we
shall give a few incidents of her life, but without
attempting a strict adherence to chronological order ;
for at this distance of time, the precise dates and
order of events could not be ascertained with entire
certainty.

After the death of her first husband, she carried
on the whole of his business, farming, merchan-
dising, etc., just as he had been doing. His farming
operations were quite extensive for a new settler,
and, in the store, he was obliged to barter a great
deal, by exchanging goods for deer skins, furs, flax-
seed, beeswax and such articles as would bear car-
riage. When he wanted a supply of goods he took
his produce to Petersburg in wagons ; and thus,
with a little money in addition, he laid in his supply.
When the time came, loading his own wagon, and
as many others as were necessary, he went along
with them, on horseback, keeping with the wagons
through the day, and lodging in some house at
night. Having incidentally learned from him,
during his life time, the names of all his lodging
places on the road, when the time came to recruit
her stock of goods, she set off on her first trading
expedition and found no difficulty either on her way
thither or in making her purchases ; but after leav-
ing Petersburg on her return, it commenced snowing
early in the day ; and she concluded to leave the
wagons and get out of the snow as soon as possible.

For a number of miles, a whole day's journey, the
road lay through a very barren country, in which
there was not a house of any description, and the

IN NORTH CAROLINA. oil

only growth of timber was that of the pine. The
storm increased and the snow fell so rapidly that, in
a little time the ground was completely covered and
the road could not be distinguished. The sun could
not be seen, she had traveled the route only once,
and the snow was whirling about in every direction,
driving in her face and blinding her until she could
have no idea of the course and became completely
lost; but, having learned, by some means or other,
that the largest and heaviest limbs of the pine tree
are always on the south side, she took that for her
guide ; and without going much out of her way,
she arrived at her destined place of lodging, in
good time and without having experienced any
other inconvenience than that of a cold and disa-
greeable ride.

From the very commencement of the contest with
England, she espoused the cause of independence
with her whole soul ; and she was so decided in her
opinions, and so ardent in her zeal, that she could
hardly bear the sight, or even the name of a Tory.
In some respects she was equal, if not more than
equal, to Flora M 'Donald, for she certainly had as
much native intellect, with as much firmness and
intrepidity ; she was as sincere and devoted in her
attachments; and in the same circumstances, or
with the same advantages of education and refined
society, in her youth, she would have been equally
conspicuous and renowned.

As she had more of that kind of information
which always belongs to mental power of a superior
order, and was regarded as being better qualified

312 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

than any other, to be useful, she found it necessary
to become a sort of " professional character," and
had a very extensive practice in her line of busi-
ness. For several years, however, her services
were all gratuitous, and no one could insult her
more highly than by offering her pay ; but towards
the close of the war, when she became more re-
duced in her circumstances by the thefts, robberies,
and depredations of the British and Tories, though
she was never dependent, she began to make a
regular charge, which was then continued while she
lived, not only for this reason, but because her ser-
vices became too much in demand to be gratuitous.

At that period, and in such a state of things as
then existed, it was hazardous for a woman to go,
alone and unprotected, any distance from home ;
for the country was broken, and not very thickly
settled, the roads were bad, and perfect anarchy
and confusion reigned over the land, with all the
animosity, virulence, and recklessness of life, and
everything else that usually attend a state of civil
Avar. Probably there was no other woman who
would have ventured as she did ; but she was not
to be deterred from the discharge of her duty by
any difficulties or perils that might beset her path.
No matter at what hour of the night the call was
made, nor to what distance she was required to go,
mounted on a noble horse, as she always was, and
well armed with dirk and pistols, she promptly
obeyed the summons.

During the troublous times of the revolution,
and for a few years after, it is said that she was oc-

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 313

casionalfy insulted and by such desperate characters,
that her self-possession and her dauntless courage,
alone saved her from degradation, if not from
death ; but she always maintained her consistency
of character, and always came off triumphant. We
are not going into a minute detail of the incidents
in her eventful life ; but aim to give those which
were most prominent, or which will best serve to
illustrate her character.

Towards the close of the war, or soon after, when
going one day along an unfrequented road, on a
call of professional duty, she was met by a man
whose name was Stephen Lewis, generally called
Steve Lewis, a man who had belonged to Fanning's
Corps, and was a perfect desperado, a man whom
everybody dreaded, and who was outlawed by pub-
lic sentiment, if not by civil authority. According
to the uniform tradition of the neighborhood, when
he saw her coming, he dismounted and hitched his
horse, set his gun against a tree and stepped into
the middle of the road. As she came up, he took
her horse by the bridle and told her she must get
down, but she drew her pistol, and presenting it to
his breast, told him if he moved another step she
would kill him on the spot. It is not in woman's
nature to kill any one, but especially a man, to
whom she instinctively looks for support and pro-
tection. She must be divested of all the kind and
generous feelings of her nature before he can do
it, unless it is from dire necessit}^, or in defence
of her life or honor, and not one in a thousand,
perhaps, could have the resolution to do it even then,

314 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

else Mrs. Bell would have killed Steve Lewis on
that occasion, and would have received a public vote
of thanks for so doing, but she was content with
taking him prisoner ; and it is said, that she actually
drove him home before her, holding the pistol in
her hand all the way, and ready to fire on him at
any time, if necessary. As there was no man there,
however, at the time, to take him in charge, he was
permitted to escape, but ultimately came to an end
quite as dishonorable as if she had shot him down
in the road or before her own door. This account
I had, a number of years ago, from different persons,
whose opportunities of knowing had been good ;
and although the circumstances were differently
related, and may have been a little exaggerated, the
main facts are believed to have been true. There
were several brothers by the name of Lewis, most
of them were of the same character, but Steve was
the most reckless and daring. Of a muscular frame
and a vigorous constitution, destitute of religious
culture or moral principle, and enured for years to
scenes of blood and cruelty, he was a disgrace to
humanity, and a terror to the neighborhood ; but if
he escaped death in one way he soon met it in
another, for he was shot in his own house, and by
his own brother, to whom he had already done some
injury, and whose life he had threatened.

We have heard of one or two instances, during
those disordered times, in which men of no principles
and no regard to decency or propriety, did things
which were highly provoking, and solely for the
purpose of trying her metal. Somewhere in that

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 315

region, there lived a man by the name of William
Yorke, who was such a desperate character that, bad
as the times were, he was generally known by the
name of devil Bill. He came to her house one even-
ing and asked for lodgings. Although she knew him
"by sight," and better by character, she consented,
after some hesitation, to take him in. Then, as every
where else, at that period, the houses were generally
small log houses, with one room below and one
above — the one below being u,sed for a common
sleeping as well as a common sitting room, and the
one above serving as a sleeping apartment for the
children or young members of the family. On re-
tiring to bed, either out of devilment, or, thinking
that, from his well-known character, she would not
dare even to reprove him, he got into bed with his
boots on ; and she ordered him out, remarking at
the same time that, if he conducted with propriety,
he could stay, but that he could not remain in her
house and act in any such way. On his refusing to
obey the order, she presented her pistol and was
about to lodge the contents of it in his body; but
when he saw that she was in earnest, he concluded,
for once, that "discretion was the better part of
valor," and was soon beyond the reach of pistol
shot.

After the Guilford battle, when the British army
was on its way to Wilmington, it encamped, for
about two days, at and near her house. Her house
stood on the north side of the river, and the van of
the army arrived there, it is said, about the middle
of the afternoon, the main body remaining at John

816 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

Clarke's, who lived on the adjoining plantation
above. Lord Cornwallis, according to his custom,
took possession of her house ; but he had been well
informed in regard to her character, and treated her
with much respect. During this time, as might be
expected, a number of little incidents occurred,
which are perhaps worth recording ; and we cannot
do otherwise than feel some curiosity to know how
his lordship would treat a lady of her standing, of
whose house he had taken possession, without leave
or license, and whose courage and firmness were at
least equal to his own; but only a few items, of a
reliable kind, have been preserved. Here we will
take General Gray's account of the manner in which
Cornwallis introduced himself; and for this purpose,
we give from the letter already quoted, the follow-
ing extract, which accords substantially with the
statements of others in that neighborhood.

" A few days after the battle of Guilford Court
House, Cornwallis and his army arrived at Bell's
mill, when his lordship called upon the old lady,
and enquired of her where her husband was, to
which she replied, ' In Greene's camp.'

" ' Is he an officer or a soldier in the army ?'

'"He is not; but thought it better to go to his
friends, than to stay and fall into the hands of his
enemies.'

" ' Madam, I must make your house my head-
quarters, and have the use of your mill for a few
days, to grind for my army while I remain here.'

" ' Sir, you possess the power, and, of course, will
do as you please without my consent; but, after

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 317

using our mill, do you intend to burn it before you
leave V

" ' Madam, why do you ask that question ?'

" ' Sir, answer my question first, and then I will
answer yours in a short time.'

" His lordship then assured her that the mill
should not be burnt or injured ; but that he must
use it to prepare provisioDS for his army, and further
added, " that by making her house his head-quarters,
he would be a protection to herself, her house, and
everything that was in or about it; for,' said he,
' no soldier of mine will dare to plunder, or commit
depredations near my quarters.'

" To which she replied: ' Now, sir, you have done
me a favor by giving me a satisfactory answer to
my question, and I will answer yours. Had your
lordship said that you intended to burn our mill, I
had intended to save you the trouble by burning it
myself before you derived much benefit from it;
but as you assure me that the mill shall not be
burned, and that you will be a protection to me,
and to the property about the house, I will make
no further objections to your using our mill, and
making my house your head-quarters while you
stay, which, I think you said, would be only for a
few days.' "

These preliminaries being settled and strictly
adhered to, by both parties, occasioned his lordship
and Mrs. Bell to part on better terms than they met.

Lord Cornwallis could not be more zealous in the
service of King George and his monarchical govern-
ment, than Mrs. Bell was in the cause of freedom

318 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

and Independence ; nor could lie remain there for
two days, with his army, without occasioning a
number of sad or amusing incidents. A few years
ago, two or three aged men, who still recollected
the scenes of the revolution, and who, from having
lived all the time in her neighborhood, had been
well acquainted with Mrs. Bell from the time she
took that name until her death, related to me several
additional facts, all of which were about as illustra-
tive of her character as the above, and some of
which were, on other accounts, even more interest-
ing and important to the patriot or the historian.

Soon after entering the house, he told Mrs. Bell
that he had annihilated Greene's army and he could
never do him any more harm, but this was mere
bravado, as he virtually admitted in the course of a
few minutes. It was about the vernal equinox, and
the clay being cold and blustering, the back or north
door, which opened on the road leading from Mar-
tinville to Fayetteville, was kept shut on account of
the wind. His lordship soon opened the back door
and stood in it for some minutes, looking up the
road, and then returned to his seat leaving it open.
She went and shut it, but, after a few minutes, he
opened it again and did as before. He was evi-
dently in trouble and restless, for he could not
remain, for five minutes at a time, in the same posi-
tion; for he was sometimes sitting, sometimes
walking across the floor, and appeared to be in a
deep study. After shutting the door again he told
her that he wanted that door to stand open, and,
when she asked him for the reason, he said he didn't

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 319

know but General Greene might be coming down the
road. " Why, sir," said she, " I thought you told
me a little while ago that you had annihilated his
army, and that he could do you no more harm."
On this, his lordship heaved a sigh and replied :
" Well, madam, to tell you the truth, I never saw
such righting since God made me, and another such
victory would annihilate me." If a few hundred
Whigs, at that juncture, had promptly and reso-
lutely offered their services to General Greene, as
would be done now in a similar case, so that he
could have attacked the enemy again with sufficient
numbers, there can be no doubt that the whole army
would have surrendered with very little resistance,
and an almost bloodless victory would have been
gained ; for it is well known, or has been all along
believed, that their amunition was becoming scarce,
that their money chest was getting low, and they
were encumbered with a great many wounded offi-
cers and men.

It was very annoying to Mrs. Bell to have such
haughty and profane men in her house and such a
rude soldiery round about it ; but the presence of
Lord Cornwallis protected her from any gross in-
sult, and, id fact, none of them seemed disposed to
treat her with as much rudeness even as they had
treated Mrs. Caldwell and some others only a week
before ; for they were much mortified by the results
of the last conflict and were more occupied with
thoughts about their own safety than any thing
else. They took her grain, cattle, provisions, and
whatever else they wanted, so far as I have learned,

820 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

without compensation, and without any care for the
distress it might occasion her family.

Cornwallis treated her with courtesy and, no
doubt, tried to prevent any unnecessary depreda-
tions on her property ; but he could not be every-
where, and soldiers are not apt to inform on each
other. She could sometimes hear the soldiers and
subaltern officers at a distance cursing her for a
rebel and uttering their denunciations ; but all this
she could bear in view of the certain and glorious
triumph which she anticipated. Confident of ulti-
mate success, she could neither be bribed nor fright-
ened into an abandonment of her principles ; and if
her life had been at stake, she would have main-
tained her dignity and her firmness to the last.

As one of the men was riding, at a rapid gait by
the door in which she was standing, for the purpose
of watering his horse in the river, he uttered some
profane or insulting language ; and she said she did
wish the horse would throw him and break his neck.
In two or three minutes she had her wish, for as he
was recklessly dashing down the hill to the river,
the horse stumbled and fell, which threw the rider
over his neck, head foremost on some rocks, and he
was killed on the spot.

Having been duly apprised of their coming, and
being well aware of their rapacity and recklessness,
she had taken what measures she could to secure
such articles as she deemed of most value and could
not remove to any great distance, particularly her
cash and her bacon. The latter of which articles
she had taken over the river and hid among some

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 821

rocks where it was supposed no body would ever
think of looking, or could find it without a guide.
The money she hid nncler a large rock about the
house. This was all in specie — mostly in guineas and
half Jos, and this being of more value than any thing
else that they would be likely to get, was the object
of her greatest solicitude. This she had hid nnder
a large rock which formed the bottom step to the
door. The rock was so large that she could just
pry up one side of it ; and, having made a small
hole in the ground in which she deposited her trea-
sure, she let the rock down again in its former
position. Then she did not expect that the army
or any portion of it would be so near to the honse ;
but to her great surprise they were all the time
passing over it. It had been for some time a com-
mon expedient with the people over the country,
especially with the Whigs, to hide their treasure
under rocks or to bury it in the ground, and, as she
was well aware the British had not only learned
this fact from the Tories, but how to search for it.
By some means or other, accident or design, the
rock would probably be removed ; and then all her
cash, the earnings of a laborious practice for years,
would not only be lost to her, but would go to feed
and clothe her mortal enemies.

By a woman of her spirit, this could not be
borne with patience ; and she was resolved that it
should not be lost without an effort to place it out
of clanger. For this purpose, she went deliberately
into the camp, under the pretext of making some
request, or of lodging a complaint for misdemean-

322 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

ors on the part of the soldiers; and, having trans-
acted that matter, whatever it was, she walked
about in a careless manner, as if to gratify an idle
curiosity, in looking at the tents, until they all be-
came engaged in some other way, and their atten-
tion was turned to something else. Then, going up
to the place, she raised a side of the rock, took out
her money, and returned into the house, without
attracting their notice, or exciting the least suspi-
cion.

At this time, and for several years previous, they
had a man employed to attend their mill, by the
name of Stephen Harlin, who was a good miller,
but proved to be a miserable scamp of a Tory.
Besides letting the British have grain or meal out
of the mill, he told them where the bacon hams
were hid, and thus they got the whole of them. He
also told them that there was a quantity of very
good cider in the cellar, and they determined to
have that at all events. Accordingly, they went to
her, and told her that they wanted the cider ; but
she told them promptly and positively, that it was
for her own use, and that they could not have it.
They swore they would have it, any how; and
started towards the cellar door, with the intention
of bursting it open ; but she got between them and
the door, and, standing with her back against it,
she told them, with a firm tone, and with a calm,
dignified countenance, that they could not get in
there without treating her as no gentleman and no
soldier of true courage would ever treat a woman.
Thus she overawed them or shamed them out of

IX NORTH CAROLINA. 323

their purpose, and saved her cider ; but she had no
more use for Harlin. An old friend, who, living
always in that neighborhood, within a few miles of
the mill, had some recollection of those times, and
who gave me the above facts a few years ago, told
me, that as he was a good miller, she let him remain
until she could get another who had the confidence
of the public; but that she never spoke to him
afterwards. General Gray, however, whose recol-
lection is probably better, says, that "as soon as
the army was gone, Mrs. Bell dismissed her miller,
Stephen Harlin, because he threw up his hat and
hurra' d for King George when they arrived." His
shouting " Hurra for King George," was abundantly
sufficient to insure his dismission from her employ ;
but we have no doubt that he was also guilty of
the other acts of meanness above mentioned; and
we presume that she dismissed him at once, without
hesitation, or an anxious thought for the future.

In the evening of the day on which the British
left her premises, she made a visit to their camp, for
the purpose, it is said, of reconnoitering, but under
some other pretext. What was her precise object,
or what induced her to engage in the enterprise, no
definite or reliable information can now be obtained;
but the tradition has been so uniform and so well
sustained, that there can be no doubt of the fact.
Probably she was induced to make this visit to the
camp of the enemy at the suggestion of Colonel Lee,
or at least for his satisfaction. He and Colonel
Washington were now hanging on the rear of the
British, harassing their foraging parties and cutting

324 EEVOLUTIONAEY INCIDENTS

off stragglers. As General Greene was making pre-
paration to pursue his retreating foe, it was impor-
tant that he should obtain speedy and certain
information respecting their condition and move-
ments, and whatever these enterprising officers
learned was soon communicated. The army,
crippled as it was, pressed with the difficulty of
getting provisions, and encumbered with a large
number of wounded officers and soldiers, moved
very slowly. Although he had left all the soldiers
and subaltern officers, who were too badly wounded
to be removed, at New Garden, trusting to the
humanity of General Greene and the Quakers, he
still had a great many with him, who could not bear
long or rapid journeys, and who, notwithstanding
all the care that could be taken of them, were dying
all along the road. After leaving Bell's premises
they went only a few miles to the plantation of Mr.
Walker, who lived on Sandy creek, and there took
up camp for the night.

That Colonel Lee was at Bell's on the same clay
that the British left, and that he was well acquainted
with Mrs. Bell's character, there is no doubt ; her
familiarity with every road and every bye-path,
with every plantation and hill and dale, in addition
to her patriotism and intrepidity, just fitted her for
such an enterprise ; and she would be in no danger,
for Cornwallis, having been so lately sheltered
under her roof, could not do otherwise than treat
her with courtesy and respect. Some say she put
on the military uniform or regimentals of her hus-
band, who was or had been a militia-captain, but

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 6ZO

tliis was probably an addition "by a later band."
At all events, as sbe never went from borne at tbis
period, witbont being well armed witb dirk and
pistols, we may rely on tbe tradition tbat sbe wore
ber customary armor on tbe present occasion. Tbus
equipped and mounted on a first-rate borse, sbe set
off alone and fulfilled ber mission witb entire suc-
cess. Tbe object, was to ascertain, as far as possible,
tbe condition of tbe Britisb army, and especially
wbetber tbey were receiving any considerable acces-
sions of Tories. Under tbe pretext of making
complaint against tbe soldiers for depredations
committed on ber property, wbicb bad not become
known to ber until after tbey were gone, sbe went
into tbe camp and bunted up bis lordsbip or re-
quested to be taken to bis tent, to wbom sbe made
ber complaint, but in doing tbis sbe bad ber eye
upon everytbing, and managed so as to get tbe
information sbe wanted, wben sbe returned borne
in safety and mucb pleased witb wbat sbe bad
done.

Wbile Col. Lee was in tbis neigbborbood be
captured two young men, William Julien and Wil-
liam Troglen, wbo wbere botb Tories. One of
wbom is said not to bave been very smart, and tbe
cbildren bad, sbortly before, stuck a red patcb on
bis bat as a badge tbat be was for tbe Britisb ; but
tbey were, botb of tbem, known and avowed loyal-
ists. Wben taken, and told tbat tbey must die,
tbey entreated tbat tbey migbt be taken to Mrs.
Bell ; and, as it was not far to ber house, tbey were
gratified. Wben tbere tbey begged ber most ear-

826 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

nestly to intercede for their life, saying "}^ou know
ns, Mrs. Bell ;" but the only reply she made was,
"I know yon not;" and all she said to Col. Lee,
was, that he must not put them to death in her
house. As they were taking them off to some dis-
tance from the house for execution, Troglen broke
away and by a desperate effort, or by good luck, or
both, made his escape, though several pistols were
fired at him ; but Julien was shot. Her refusal to
intercede for these unfortunate young men was not
owing to any want of human feeling, as I was told,
but to some previous conduct on their part which
had impressed her with the belief that they ought
not to live. She is said to have been a woman of
as much tenderness of feeling as any other ; but her
sensibilities were in an unusual degree, in subordi-
nation to her principles, and under the control of a
sound and vigorous intellect.

When a party, either of Col. Lee's men, or of
some other corps, were out foraging in the neigh-
borhood of Bell's, on the plantation of Joe Clarke,
a man, by the name of Eobbins, concealed himself
in a thicket of bushes and shot Cap. Cruikshanks
who had command of the company. Cruikshanks
was, with the the whole corps, a great favorite, and
the men were so enraged that they instantly fell
upon Eobbins, and cut and hacked him about the
head until they felt certain that he was dead ; but
he must have had an unusually hard head, or like
the cat, "nine lives;'' for he recovered and lived
many years. This was in the evening, and next
day he crawled on his hands and knees to Bell's

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 327

house which was distant about a mile. There are
two different accounts of the manner in which she
treated him ; but they are not contradictory. The
old Friend in the neighborhood, who has been
already mentioned, told me that she had compassion
on him and dressed his wounds, gave him refresh-
ment and took care of him until he was able to take
care of himself, which was at a time when her hus-
band could not sleep a night in his own house
without the risk of being assassinated by Eobbins
and other Tories ; but others say that she would not
do anything for him, nor even admit him into her
house or so much as notice him. Such was pro-
bably her treatment of him at first ; but on con-
sidering his miserable condition, she may have
relented and treated him with more kindness.

In the midst of these transactions or in near
connection with them, though the precise date is
not recollected, she engaged in another enterprise,
more difficult and adventurous, perhaps, than that
of recoDnoitering the British camp. She rode one
night, the whole night, in company with a Whig as
a spy, or rather for the purpose of getting informa-
tion respecting an embodiment of Tories, which
was said to be forming on the other side of the
river, and some fourteen miles from her house, in
a west or south-west direction. The undertaking
was both toilsome and perilous ; for the distance was
considerable and the roads were bad ; the country
was broken, and abounded with robbers and cut-
throats. "She went," my correspondent says, "in
the character of a midwife ;" and when they met

328 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

any one or came to a house, she was " spokesman,"
and did all the talking. She first enquired the
road to such a place, and always managed to
have it understood, directly or indirectly, on what
business she was going. Her next enquiries were
directed more to the object she had in view, such as,
Were there any royalists embodying in that direc-
tion ? Where was their place of meeting ? How
far was it? What was their number? What were
they going to do ? Would they molest her ? In
most cases she got a satisfactory answer ; and to the
last, generally received the reply, "0 no, not when
you are on that business." Being acquainted with
the roads, she changed her course according to the
information she got, still pretending to be in great
haste, and fearing she would be too late. Thus she
went as far as she intended, got all the information
she desired or expected, and returned home early
in the morning, having rode in the course of the
night, about thirty miles. Soon after the writer
came into the country, he was told that in conse-
quence of the information thus obtained, Col. Lee
went the next night, took them by surprise, and
broke up the whole concern. A few years ago,
some old Quakers — friends before referred to — who
had lived all their lives in that neighborhood, and
still recollected those times, told me that although
they had forgotten the dates and the minute circum-
stances, they well recollected the fact of her going
to reconnoitre the British camp, and also the one
which has just been related. Both of them are still
current traditions in the neighborhood ; and there

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 329

can be no doubt that they are substantially true.
They are in keeping with the rest of her history,
and are honorable to her character.

In the course of the ensuing summer, the Tories,
who, in that region at least, cared more for plunder
than for King George or any body else, were very
troublesome and often attacked her house, sparing
nothing that they could destroy or carry away and
attempting, more than once, to murder some of the
family. They burned the barn one night, with
every thing in it ; and when her sons, who were not
yet grown, mere boys, in fact, attempted to preserve
the property from destruction, they wounded one of
them, and threatened to shoot them every one,
which, it is supposed, would have been the result if
they had persisted. This class of the population,
or a large portion of them, appear to have been
perfectly reckless, caring neither for the rights of
justice, nor the claims of humanity; and they seem
to have had a particular spite at Mr. Bell and his
family on account of their influence, and of the very
decided part which they had taken in the cause of
freedom.

When Mrs. Bell's aged father was there on a
visit, and was spending a short time with his daugh-
ter and grand-children, a number of them came one
night, and, among other outrages, were about to
take his life. As it was known in the neighborhood
that he was there, it was supposed that to murder
him was their main design in coming, and one or
two, approaching him with drawn swords, were
about to imbrue their hands in his blood. For

330 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

some reason, not now recollected, she did not have
her pistols by her, or thought it more expedient to
adopt another plan. There was no time to devise
measures nor even to walk across the room in search
of weapons, and with her characteristic presence of
mind and promptness of action, she did not attempt
it ; but, seizing a broad-axe which, very fortunately
happened to be at hand, and raising that over her
head, tightly grasped with both hands, she said to ■*
them, in the most positive manner, and with a
sternness which was irresistible, "If one of }^ou
touches him I'll split you down with this axe.
Touch him if you dare I" and she would certainly
have done it, regardless of consequences, if the
attempt had been made; but being overawed, or
feeling convinced by her whole demeanor, the
dauntless expresssion of her countenance, her atti-
tude of defiance, and the earnest tones of her voice,
that she would do what she said, they stood for a
moment, abashed, confounded, and then left the
house. Thus, by her fearlessness and decision of
character, her uncommon energy and promptness of
action, she saved the life of a venerable and beloved
parent, and showed that she was no less affectionate
as a daughter, than she was ardent and patriotic as
a citizen. If "woman's courage does not always
begin where man's courage fails," it becomes most
conspicuous and efficient in those circumstances in
which man is unnerved, and at his wit's end.

During the summer of 1781, Mr. Bell went to the
North, but whether on public or private business, is
not known to the writer. In the fall he returned

IX NORTH CAROLINA. 331

and ventured to remain, for a short time, with his
family. The Tories were soon aware of his return,
and went there one night with the intention of
taking his life. The doors were fastened so that
they could not readily enter ; but this gave them
no concern whatever, for they were rather gratified
than otherwise with a plea for setting the house on
fire. In that case, if he attempted to run they
intended to shoot him, at all events, and perhaps
some of his stepsons. As they were passing round
the house, Mr. Bell put his head out of a window,
intending, if he saw any of them bringing fire, or in
the act of applying it to the house, to shoot them
with his pistol, but one of them who happened to
be close by the window at the time, struck him on
the head with his sword and inflicted a severe
wound, but did not kill him as he aimed to do.
Mrs. Bell then called to her sons, lads yet only in
their teens, who were up stairs in bed, to get the old
musket and be ready to fire out of the windows.
Then going to the window next to the kitchen and
calling their servant boy, Peter, loud enough for
the men on the outside of the house to hear, and
intending that they should hear, she said to him,
" Eun as hard as you can to Jo. Clarke's and tell
him and the light-horse to come as quickly as pos-
sible, for the Tories are here." Clarke was one of
her nearest neighbors, and a resolute man. He lived
on the adjoining plantation, about a mile up the
river, and generally at this period, had a troop of
mounted men, who, though not always with him,
nor on duty, were at his command. At this time

332 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS

she knew no more than they did, whether Clarke's
men were there or not, but from the confident and
earnest manner in which she spoke to the servant,
they supposed it must be so, and fearing that the
old musket might tell upon some of them from the
upper window, or that Jo. Clarke with his " light-
horse" might take them by surprise, or perhaps,
apprehensive of both, though they had the fire
ready to apply, they dropped everything and made
their escape.

Finding it as unsafe as ever to remain in his own
house, especially at night, when their depredations
and deeds of atrocity were usually committed, Mr.
Bell did not venture to lodge in his own house
again for months, and she mostly kept a few young
men, on whom she could depend, to act as a guard
at night. This probably saved her life, or at least
her house and property from destruction. "When
Colonel Fanning called there on his return from
that bloody excursion up Deep river, described in
the first volume, she was determined to stand by
her property to the last ; but in relation to this
matter, we will give another extract from General
Gray's letter.

"Mr. Bell had taken so active a part against the
Tories, that he knew if he fell into their hands they
would take his life ; and, for this reason, he seldom
lodged in his own house, while the old lady deter-
mined, at all risks, to stick by ' the stuff,' and
endeavor to prevent her property from being plun-
dered. She stayed at home ; but usually got eight
or ten young men, on whose bravery she could de-

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 666

pend, to stay in the house at night ; for it was gene-
rally in the night that the Tories committed their
depredations. In the night after Fanning had killed
Colonels Balfour, Bryant and others, and burned
several houses and barns, when he and his troop
rode into the yard at Bell's, the old lady took the com-
mand, and, with the voice of a Stentor, ordered her
men to throw open all the windows, take good aim
and not draw a trigger until they were sure, each one,
of his man. This was heard by Fanning and his
company who wheeled off, no doubt, believing that
the house was full of armed men ; but Mrs. Bell's
little troop was so well pleased to get rid of them
that they did not even give them a salute at start-
ing."

Her trip to Wilmington, in company with Mrs.
Dugan, when she went to see her son, Col. Thomas
Dugan, who had long been confined on board an
English prison ship, and was then condemned to be
hung, has been related in the first volume, and other
facts of interest and variety might be stated ; but we
have aimed to give only such incidents as were most
prominent and most authentic. The above are, in
fact, only samples of the many hardships, perilous
adventures and trying scenes through which she was
called to pass during that eventful period of our
history; and, if we mistake not, our readers will
think with us, that her many deeds of noble daring
and the firmness, energy and prudence with which
she acquitted herself on every occasion, when either
courage, promptness of action or the sacrifice of per-
sonal interest was required, furnish the most grati-

66i REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

fying proof of her magnanimity and her exalted
patriotism.

For several years after the cessation of hostilities,
or after the British army had left the State, and left
it to return no more, the country continued in nearly
as much anarchy, turmoil and violence, as it had
ever been. Strife and rapine still prevailed; and
acts of revenge and murder were frequent. The
angry and perturbed passions, when excited to the
highest pitch, as they were then, by numberless acts
of provocation — the animosity and strife, the ambi-
tion and revenge, the contempt of danger and love
of adventure, the recklessness with regard to moral
obligation and the habits of theft, robbery and blood-
shed, which have been engendered and fostered into
rank maturity, by a foreign and domestic war of
seven or eight years' continuance, cannot be quelled
at the bidding of a few, nor made to pass away in a
moment, as evil spirits are said to be driven away
by the magic wand of the conjuror. In such times,
the claims of moral and religious obligation very
slowly and gradually regain their ascendency over
the human, mind. A practical regard for the supre-
macy of law, and the acknowledgment of mutual
rights and duties, as founded on the great principles
of justice and humanity, return, like a calm in the
boisterous ocean, by slow and almost imperceptible
degrees.

Of Mrs. BelFs history after the war, we know
very little, except that she continued to serve the
public as she had been doing, until she became too
old and infirm to leave home. Her life was, of

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 335

course, more retired, quiet and monotonous, but
was spent more pleasantly, if not more usefully.
While the country continued in so much agitation
and disorder that it was unsafe for a woman to
travel alone, she still carried her arms as she had
done during the war; and, although she passed
through some trying and perilous scenes, she
maintained her character for firmness and reso-
lution to the last. Her most prominent traits were
a quick discernment of what was necessary or
proper to be done in given circumstances, a decision
of purpose, and an energy of action that could not
be surpassed, a calm and dignified firmness on all
occasions, and a patriotic devotion to the cause of
freedom and independence bordering on enthusiasm.
During the war, and for some years after peace
was concluded, when riding over the country, if
she saw a man whose face was strange, or who
looked at all suspicious, she would hail him, and
make him give an account of himself, demanding
his name and his business. If this should appear
to the reader inconsistent with the modesty and
delicacy of her sex, he must recollect that " circum-
stances alters cases." At all times there may be
occasions, and they were of almost daily occurrence
at that period, when those qualities, so becoming
ordinarily, must be subordinate to the higher
principles of self-preservation and the public good.
In such a state of anarchy, disorder and violence,
as then prevailed, there was no proper respect paid
to the female sex, except by the more intelligent
and refined, who were then comparatively a small

386 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

portion of the community ; and the woman whose
energy, prudence and dignified firmness were ade-
quate to any emergency, and enabled her on all
occasions to defend her principles and her honor,
even when her natural protectors were arrayed
against her, and when, otherwise, her life might be
the forfeit, was sure to command a respect which
would not be shown to more lovely or attractive
qualities, and she passed through her trials with
for more satisfaction, as well as more credit, to her-
self and her friends.

While her modesty and delicacy, if not affected,
are usually regarded as her highest ornament, all
the world admires a woman whose intellectual pow-
ers and moral courage and patriotic devotion to the
welfare of her country raise her, in such times,
above the weakness of her sex, and enable her to
face danger in its most appalling forms, and to defend
herself and her principles regardless of consequen-
ces. Who does not admire the character and the
conduct of Deborah, who, when her country was
groaning under the oppression of a foreign yoke,
led on the armies of Israel to battle and to victory,
and at a time when there was not a man in the na-
tion who had the courage to come forward and take
the command ? The world abounds with similar
examples and they form many of the brightest pages
in the history of every nation. Few women, during
the Revolution, displayed, in a higher degree or on
more frequent occasions, those qualities which excite
the admiration of the good and virtuous, or of the
honorable and high-minded, than Martha Bell; and

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 337

her name is freely " given in charge to the historic
muse," without any apprehension that it will be
proclaimed with a feeble or a jarring voice.

After law and order were fairly established, and
after morality and religion had gained a sufficient
influence over the public mind to restrain men from
acts of atrocity and violence, her arms were gladly
laid aside. She had never worn them from a mar-
tial spirit, for she loved peace as much as any one
in the land; nor did she do it for ostentation or
parade, for she was as free from every thing of that
kind as any other mortal ; but it was, with her, a
matter of imperious necessity. She must do it or
submit to be insulted with impunity and perhaps
be in continual jeopardy of her life. Situated as
she was, she must shrink from the avowal of her
principles and from the discharge of her duty, or
she must go prepared to defend herself from the
insults of the profane and the violence of the law-
less. She must consent, contrary to the strong,
undying impulses of her nature, to sink her influ-
ence entirely and become a mere cypher, at a time
too when all the courage, and patriotism, and love
of freedom in the land were in pressing requisition,
or she must shew to the world that, like all true
hearted patriots, in every age and clime, she valued
liberty enough to risk even her life in its defence ;
and that, if she did fall a sacrifice in the contest, it
should be a voluntary sacrifice in the defence of her
rights and in the discharge of her duties. If all
the women of the Whig community, at that day,
had been of her character, even if they did not

338 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

equal her in physical strength and intellectual vigor,
they would have had an influence which neither
British nor Tories could have resisted and the con-
test would have been neither so arduous nor so
protracted ; but then the task of the historian, by
grouping all together, might have been an easy one,
or it might have been made one of endless eulogy.
When Mr. Bell died is not known to the writer, but
she was a widow, the second time, for many years
before her death.

Although she had enjoyed, to some extent, the
benefits of a religious education, she was not, at
this time, a professor of religion ; but early in the
present century, or in what is usually termed " the
great revival " in the South, she professed her faith
in Christ, and connected herself with the church.
From that time until her death, which was about
twenty years, she continued to adorn the profession
which she had made, and all the native qualities of
her mind and heart were still in their full vigor, but
were now directed in a different channel. All that
firmness, independence, and inflexible adherence to
principle, all that energy and perseverance in the
discharge of duty which had been so signally dis-
played through the trying and perilous times of the
revolutionary struggle, were still manifest even
down to old age ; but they were now exercised in
the promotion of a much nobler cause, and in the
enjoyment of a higher liberty than that which was
obtained by patient endurance of complicated suf-
ferings, and by deeds of martial prowess through
long years of toil, and sacrifice, and bloodshed.

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 339

"He is free, and he alone, whom the truth makes
free." That freedom she obtained and enjoyed as
much, perhaps, as most other Christians; but there
was another great battle yet to be fought ; and it
was fought, nobly fought, triumphantly fought, and
a glorious victory won : for she died in great peace,
September 9, 1820, about eighty-five years of age;
and of her it may be truly said, " Blessed are the
dead who die in the Lord. 11

Few women in the common walks of life, and in
this or any other Protestant country, have passed
through so many, and such severe trials, or have
displayed such a rare combination of intellectual
and moral qualities. Traits of character so noble
and so diversified, are not as common as they
ought to be, in either sex; and when they do occur,
especially in such times, they claim not only our
admiration, but our grateful remembrance. What
she would have been in the higher walks of life,
and with the advantages of a finished education,
we cannot tell, nor need we inquire ; and we have
no disposition to search for faults, or discuss the
propriety of any one transaction of her life. We
leave that for those who can neither admire mag-
nanimity, nor appreciate deeds of heroic courage in
a noble cause, nor relish high-toned feelings of
patriotic devotion ; but whatever may have been
her imperfections, and whatever she might have
done under other circumstances, or with better ad-
vantages of mental culture, she acted, on the whole,
a noble part ; and no one who was acquainted with
her histor} 7 , or who knew her personally, especially

840 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

in the latter part of her life, could ever doubt that
she has gone " where the wicked cease from trou-
bling, and where the weary are forever at rest."

Col. John Paisley.

Late in the fall of 1780, when the proximity of
the British army and their triumphant success
hitherto had given fresh life and courage to their
friends in this country, a small Tory encampment
was formed near the dividing line between Guilford
and Eandolph counties, but on which side of the
line is not recollected. The number was so incon-
siderable and they had been there so short a time
that they had not attracted the attention of the
Whigs, or not to any extent ; but they were neither
remiss in their vigilance nor slow in their efforts.
With the highly excited expectations of immediate
success and of an ample reward at the hand of their
" gracious Sovereign," they were ready to risk every
thing, for the time being, and to brave danger
wherever or in whatever form it might occur. As
Col. John Paisley, who lived about eight miles, in an
easterly direction, from the present town of Greens-
boro', was a Whig and a partizan officer of con-
siderable prominence, it became an object of primary
importance with the Tories to capture him and carry
him to the British. A party was accordingly dis-
patched from the camp one night for the purpose,
and arrived at his house just before sunrise.
The Colonel had been out on an expedition against

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 341

the Tories below deep river, and had returned on
the evening before.

Having been apprised of his return and taking it
for granted that he would be at home and alone,
they considered it a favorable opportunity and
thought that by seizing him so early they could
carry him off before any alarm could be given in
the neighborhood. With these views they left the
encampment in time, as they supposed, to reach his
house by daylight, and thus far they came up to
their expectations. The Colonel was an early riser,
and, like most farmers over the country, had his
breakfast, in the winter season, by candle light ; but
having had much fatigue and lost a great deal of
sleep on his tour, he had kept his bed a little longer
that morning than usual. He had just got up in
his deshabille and was making a fire when he saw
them ride up to the gate. As a matter course, he
understood their business at once, r and found himself
in rather a " bad box." While they were highly
gratified at finding everything, so far, just as they
wished, he was as much perplexed for a moment
to know what he ought to do. To think of resist-
ance would be folly, when there were about a dozen
of them, and he was alone, with his wife and three
or four little children. To think of escaping on
foot when they were mounted would be quite as
useless ; and he must either make up his mind to be
taken prisoner or devise some stratagem by which he
could get the advantage of them ; but there was no
time for deliberation, whatever he said or did must
be said or done on the spur of the occasion, with all
23

342 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

the promptitude and self-possession of a consummate
general on the field of battle. Being a pretty good
judge of human nature, he hit upon the only expe-
dient that could have been of any avail, and it
succeeded to admiration.

When they entered the house, which they did,
not only without any ceremony, bat with as bold
and consequential an air as if they had been the
"lords proprietors," he met them at the door with-
out the least indication of alarm or embarrassment,
and received them with a great deal of courtesy.
As it was a very sharp frosty morning in November,
he remarked to them with as much apparent frank-
ness and urbanity as he would have done to his
best neighbors, that he presumed they found it a
little cool riding in such a morning, and pressed
them to sit up near the fire, at the same time piling
on more wood and making the biggest sort of a
fire.

After a little off hand easy chat about the weather
arid other common topics, in which he took care to
lead the way, he set out the bottle and sugar-bowl
on the side-board and said to them, with all the
familiarity and plainess of " Southern hospitality,"
" Come, gentlemen, here is some very fine peach
brandy ; but I don't want you to take my word for
it. This is a cold morning and it will help to warm
you. Come, try it." Being somewhat fatigued
with their ride, and shivering with cold, this was a
temptation which they could not resist ; and march-
ing up, one and all, with right good will, they
helped themselves quite liberally. Then returning

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 343

to the fire, and complimenting the brandy as very
fine indeed, the conversation went on as before,
the Colonel still taking the lead and making himself
very agreeable.

In a short time the invitation was repeated,
" Come, gentlemen, another dram can't hurt yon
this cold morning. Come, try another." This was
said with so much apparent cordiality as to miike
them free in accepting, and they all consented,
"nothing loath." Having given another proof of
their friendly disposition towards " good old peach,"
they returned to the fire, but with still more hearty
commendations of the brandy, and of its pleasant
effects after riding in the cold. In the course of
fifteen or twenty minutes, when agreeable topics of
conversation began to be a little scarce, and there
being on the part of one, at least, a strong disposi-
tion to avoid every thing disagreeable, a third invi-
tation was given, and in the same kind and obliging
manner, " Come, gentlemen, let us knock the bead
off this other bottle, and then we will go to break-
fast. I see it is near about ready." No persuasion
was necessary ; for they were more than ever in the
spirit, though the flesh might be getting a little
weak. Having taken another glass they returned
again to their seats ; and the Colonel took care to
keep " a rousing fire" all the time ; but by making
such a free use of the " old peach" after having been
so benumbed by the cold, and then sitting by such
a warm fire, they began to feel very happy indeed.
In fact they could hardly believe that they were
any longer in this wicked world where there is so

344 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

much fighting and wretchedness, but in some kind
of a paradise or elysium where all past feuds are
amicably settled, and where all past sufferings and
sorrows are forgotten. Some were disposed to doze,
and some to be loquacious, but while the conversa-
tion was becoming more free and animated, at
least with those on whom the brandy had an ex-
hilarating effect, breakfast was announced, and they
all set down to a table well furnished with the sub-
stantial of life, such as fried ham and boiled eggs,
hot cakes, butter and coffee, with sundry other
things ; and they all laid in a bountiful supply ;
each one recollecting that he had to eat for the past,
present and future. The quantum of substantial
nourishment which they had taken soon began to
renew the energy of the vital powers, and to restore
the system to its accustomed tone and vigor ; but
as reflection was very gradually resuming its place
while the exhilarating effects of the brandy were
slowly subsiding, when they returned to the fire, a
silence of some minutes ensued, and an air of sad-
ness rested upon their countenances, indicative of
an anxious and perturbed state of mind, or at least
of a consciousness that they had been outwitted and
brought into a very awkward predicament.

The Colonel was still disposed to entertain them
as he had been doing, in hope that his Whig
neighbors would get notice of his situation and rally
for his rescue, or that Providence would, in some
way or other interpose for his preservation, but " a
change was coming over the spirit of their dream, 1 '
and they were not disposed to be communicative.

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 345

As the chariot of the sun had already ascended
above the horizon, and was advancing up the
eastern hill with as much rapidity as ever, they
began to think it might not be very safe to remain
there much longer, as some secret messenger might
carry the news over the neighborhood, and the
Whigs, in numbers too great for them to resist,
might be on them before they were aware of their
danger. It was a bold move in them to venture
into such a Whig settlement at any time, and was
certainly imprudent to be there in the light of the
sun. Every moment increased their peril; but what
was to be done ? To seize him now and carry him off
as a prisoner seemed to them rather an ungrateful
and irksome business. Destitute, as they were, of
anything like refinement, and ignorant of the civili-
ties which men of intelligence and cultivated
manners observe, even in a state of warfare, in this
case, which was so strongly marked and so impres-
sive throughout, they felt committed by the common
laws of hospitality to show him some friendship?
and the very thought of treating him otherwise,
made them feel a little mean. The perplexity was,
to know whether they should take him prisoner
after having been treated so kindly, or go away
without mentioning the purpose for which they had
come.

No matter what course they took, the conse-
quences must be unpleasant and inevitable. In
either case they would feel self-condemned, and be
subjected to never-ceasing taunts and reproaches, if
nothing worse ; but one or the other must be done,

346 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

and without delay. After a short and uneasy si-
lence, one of them, probably the officer in command,
by keeping all his better feelings, if he had any, in
abeyance, conjured up resolution enough to become
spokesman for the rest, and commenced, by saying,
" I suppose, sir, you understand our business : we
have been sent to take you prisoner, and carry you
to our camp." " Yery well," said the Colonel, in
his frank and independent way, not being at all
disconcerted, and betraying no apprehension of con-
sequences ; " Yery well, gentlemen, if you can recon-
cile it with your conscience and your sense of pro-
priety to take me prisoner, after having enjoyed my
hospitality, you can do so. You came here cold
and hungry — I gave you a place at my table, and
at my fireside. I have given you of the best I had,
and have treated you as well as I could. You are
trying to maintain the authority of King George —
I am trying to defend my country against his op-
pressive measures, and to maintain those rights
which the Creator has given us, and which we all
ought to consider invaluable ; but in this contest,
we ought not to forget the uncertainties of war, nor
overlook the principles of honor and humanity.
Your stratagem has succeeded, and you have taken
me by surprise. I am here, in your power ; I am
not disposed either to resist or to make my escape.
Take me, if you think proper."

After a momentary pause, and considerable
embarrassment, some of them said, " Well, it did
look rather ungenerous, and they hated it prodig-
iously, but they reckoned they would be obliged to

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 347

do it." ISTo one, however, seemed disposed to lay
hands on him ; and after a little " hemming and
hawing," some muttering their thoughts in an
unintelligible way, and others maintaining a
dogged silence, one of them remarked that it
would be too confounded mean, and, for his part,
he would give himself to " Old Scratch" at once,
soul and body, before he would be guilty of any
such thing. So saying, he started up, and indicated
by his movements a determination to be off without
further delay. To this they all assented, and
showed by their actions that they were ready to
follow his example. Then, thanking him for his
kindness, and bidding him, apparently, a cordial
farewell, they went out with an air of cheerfulness,
as if they had been relieved from a great burden, and
mounting ' their horses at the gate, started off as
they came. They had not, however, got out of the
lane until they begun to consider, and to discuss
among themselves what excuse they would make
on their return to camp. They could not say that
they did not find him at home, nor that he was too
strongly fortified by men or other means for them
to «take him. To say that he had made them
"foxy," and had thus found an opportunity to
escape, or that he had overcome them with kind-
ness, and they could not find it in their hearts to
treat him as an enemy, would only expose them to
unmeasured ridicule, and subject them to censure,
if not to some heavier punishment at the hands of
their superiors.

As this was a matter of grave importance, and

348 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

one which they could not leave undetermined, they
called a halt and remained for a few minutes
engaged in earnest confabulation, with their horses
turned heads and tails, at right angles and in every
possible direction. The majority it seems were in
favor of taking him at all events, if it was a little
mean ; and having come to this conclusion, they all
put spurs to their horses, and dashed back at half
speed; but he knew the Tories well enough not
to trust them ; and before they got back, he was
out of their reach. If the boobies had not got so
" tight" on his brandy, from the effects of which
they had not yet entirely recovered, they might
have known that when they had once given him a
chance to escape, they would not catch him napping
again.

Disappointed finally in the purpose for which
they had taken such a long and fatiguing ride and
mortified by the trick which had been so success-
fully played upon them at the expense of their
honor and their fidelity to the royal cause, without
molesting his family, property or anything else, for
which, after all that had passed and with something
still more unpleasant, perhaps, in prospect, they* felt
no disposition, they set off on their return to camp
and at a gate which betrayed their deep mortifica-
tion. As "the spur in the heal," was losing its
effect and as the vexation felt by a disappointment,
under such circumstances was pressing heavily upon
their spirits, no jocund laugh was heard as they
moved along and no vivacity was seen in their
movements. If they were sad, those whom they

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 349

were leaving behind were joyous; and every living
thing on the premises seemed to feel relieved at
their departure ; but what tale they told and how they
fared on their return to camp was never known,
because no one ever cared to know or thought worth
while to inquire.

James Love.

Not long before the army under Cornwallis passed
through Wilmington, on its way to the North, a
massacre was perpetrated in the vicinity of the town
which spread lamentation in a number of families,
and which taught a sad but salutary lesson. Eouse's
the scene of this tragedy, was eight miles below
Wilmington and on the Newbern road. It was a
public house and a place of resort for the Whigs of
the surrounding country, who frequently met there
in the evening to discuss public matters, take a con-
vivial glass, and spend an hour or two in social
mirth. On the evening to which we refer, some ten
or twelve had collected there, and, although they
were so near the town that a troop of British horse
could reach them in an hour, they were enjoying
themselves as usual. Major Craig, the British officer
then in command at Wilmington, having been noti-
fied of this party by a miserable Tory, sent out a
detachment of infantry in the night, which took them
by surprise, and gave no quarters. The whole of
them, with the exception of one who fortunately
escaped, were put to death without mercy or for-
bearance ; and the place was left, for the time being,

350 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

a scene of desolation. James Love, who was a com-
panionable man, and was brave to rashness, was one
of this party, and was almost the only one of whose
conduct in that fearful moment, we have received
any account. Though brave, he had such a flow of
spirits, and was so fond of a social hour that he in-
considerately exposed himself to the danger and met
an untimely fate.

When the British surrounded the house and com-
menced the work of destruction, Love determined,
it seems, that if he must die, he would sell his life
as dearly as possible. Having taken his saddle into
the house and laid his sword upon it, he seized both
and, holding the saddle before him as a shield, cut
his way through them until he got out of the house.
He then aimed for a mulberry tree which stood in
the yard and fell at its root, having his body pierced
by a number of bayonets. Being a man of an un-
daunted spirit and of great bodily strength, while
his life's blood was flowing, he dealt such blows on
his murderers that the ground where he fell was
stained with their blood, as well as with his own.
He did all that mortal man " dare do" or could do,
in such circumstances, and none but the patriot and
soldier would have sold his life so dear. One es-
caped, and another, who had concealed himself in
the garret, was ferreted out and promised his life
on condition that he would disclose the position and
plans of the Whigs. He did so, and then was in-
stantly put to death. He was a native of Duplin
county, and his name was Wilson. Being of good
character and of respectable family, his betraying the

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 351

plans of the "Whigs, to save his life, may be ac-
counted for by the fact that he was quite a youth,
and had not yet attained sufficient maturity of
mind.

The work must have been done with great des-
patch, for Col. Blud worth, with a body of men under
his command, was so near that he heard the firing
of the muskets at the house, and was soon on the
ground, but the British had gone Then what an
appalling scene was presented! There lay the body
of Love alone in the yard and near the mulberry
tree. The family who kept the house had fled in
dismay ; and the floor was covered with the bodies
of the slain. Love was respectably connected and
highly esteemed as a man. Though brave and pa-
triotic he was too inconsiderate and reckless of
danger. The writer of the communication in the
Wilmington Chronicle, from which this is taken in
substance, and of which mention has been made in
another place, says that Love asked his father that
evening, as they were neighbors, friends and fellow-
soldiers, to go along; but his father told him that it
was too near a military post for them to venture,
and tried in vain to dissuade him from going. The
same writer says that Love fell in the prime of life
and in the service of his country; but his death
seemed to say to the minions of power, you may
harass and kill, but such spirits you can never con-
quer.

352 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

Col. Dodd.

Daring the time that Wilmington was in posses-
sion of the British, under the command of Major
Craig, the town and its vicinity were the theatre of
proscription, murder and torture, in rapid succession
and often under circumstances of atrocity utterly
incompatible with the honor of a great and civilized
nation. Afraid to venture far into the country,
they were all the time preying upon the Whig in-
habitants within a space of a few miles in diameter,
and, though the mass of the royalists in that region
were conscientious and honorable men, as much so
at least as could be expected in such a state of things
as then existed, there were many others of a differ-
ent character, men of depraved principles or of no
principle at all, who, for a small bribe, or from a
mean cringing disposition to curry favor with those
in power, were ever ready to give information and
to commit any unworthy deed at the bidding of
their masters. Every active and spirited Whig,
within the range of their operations, was "hunted
like a partridge on the mountains ;" and, if caught,
was instantly put to death. Fathers, husbands and
brothers were murdered in cold blood, and their
mothers, wives and children were left without a
home, without protection and without even the
means of subsistence. When Cornwallis, with the
army under his command, passed through this
region on his way to Yorktown, it was no better.
The same deeds of cruelty were committed and the

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 353

same wanton destruction of property was made,
either by his express command or by ,his conni-
vance, which amounted to the same thing. It would
seem that his lordship, chagrined and mortified by
the treatment which he had lately received from
General Greene at Guilford Court House, was now
gratifying his spleen by ordering or permitting these
low acts of cruelty and recklessness. In this state
of things there were some hairbreadth escapes, tor-
tures inflicted almost beyond endurance and feats
of valor and activity performed which were worthy
of all commendation and of perpetual remembrance.

The few incidents, belonging to that region, which
are here related, were all taken, in substance, from
the Wilmington papers ; and the account here given
of Col. Dodd is from the Wilmington Chronicle,
under date of June 11th, 1815, and, as it is a simple
unvarnished tale, without any attempt at romance
or exaggeration, we have no doubt it is strictly cor-
rect. The writer of the communication tells us
that he had the account, in the summer of 1811,
from Col. Dodd himself, who was then living in
Sampson county, in the full possession of all his
faculties ; and like a man whose only aim was his-
torical truth, he appears to have written just what
he received from the most reliable source.

lie tells us that Dodd was a small man, but of
the finest form and figure. Although he was at the
time of the interview, turned of seventy, he walked
with a firm and vigorous step, and conversed with
great spirit and vivacity. Like most men of that
period who lived to be old, when speaking of revo-

354 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

lutionary scenes, lie was not only animated but
peculiarly interesting. At the time Cornwallis was
passing through Duplin county on his way to Vir-
ginia, Dodd had his residence near the court-house,
where the army encamped and was halted for some
time to refresh the troops. The most of the inhabi-
tants, on the approach of the enemy, left their homes
and fled to places of safety ; but Dodd and a few
others remained, with a determination to annoy his
lordship as much as possible. His smoke house was
broken open and plundered, his stock was killed,
and a fine blooded colt was disfigured and ruined
by cutting open each side of the jaws from the
mouth up to the ears.

A detachment of cavalry or dragoons was sent
out with orders to take Dodd himself — dead or alive,
we presume, and, but for a kind providence and his
own ingenuity they would have succeeded. While
reconnoitering they espied him and a Mr. Thomp-
son on the Cross Creek road, and instantly the
pursuit was commenced at full speed. As they
were both well mounted they felt little or no appre-
hension ; but Dodd soon discovered the superior
bottom of the British horse and told Thompson
that they must leave the roacl, which lying through
a swamp, had been causewayed and a ditch thrown
up on each side. Dodd's horse, yielding to the
spurs, leaped the ditch, but Thompson's horse re-
fused. The pursuers now divided, a part going in
pursuit of Dodd, with increased eagerness, and the
rest went after Thompson. Dodd being uncom-
monly vigorous and active, as he approached a pond

IX NORTH CAROLINA. 355

•which, was covered with thick undergrowth, leaped
from his saddle into it and sunk himself as much
under water as possible, where he remained per-
fectly quiet and motionless. His pursuers rode all
through it again and again, crying out all the time,
" We will have the d — nd rebel. Kill him ! kill
him !" and several times they approached so near
that he thought they would surely ride over him ;
but he escaped and lived to a good old age, enjoy-
ing the untold blessings of freedom and indepen-
dence. Thompson was not so fortunate ; for he was
soon overtaken, and killed on the spot. Two more
determined Whigs, says the writer of this account,
was not to be found in that region of country ; and
the reader has no doubt been thinking on what a
small thing, a mere casualty often, a little restive-
ness in a horse at the critical moment, or a little well
timed agility on the part of the rider, a man's fate
in time of war, is frequently suspended ; but the race
is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong.

Col. Thomas Bludworth.

All who have been at Wilmington, or any where
near it, have heard something about Negro-head
Point, and about the origin of the name by which
it is so familiarly known. It is the point of land
between the North-East and North-West rivers
where they enter the Cape Fear ; and is some four
or five hundred yards from Market street dock.
According to tradition it took the name of Negro-
head Point from the fact that, in the early settle-

356 REVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS

ment of the country, the head of a famous negro
outlaw, who had committed sundry acts of theft and
murder in this and adjoining counties, was erected
on a stake at this point, and left there as a warning
to others.

At present it is the site of a steam rice-mill, whose
spacious front painted white, and whose tall chimney
belching forth dense columns of smoke, curling and
expanding as they rise into the air and floating off
in graceful detachments, present an aspect by no
means unpleasant. The area beyond, containing
several hundred acres, is now the rice farm of
Samuel E. Potts, Esq. This locality has also be-
come celebrated by having been the theatre of one
of the most remarkable incidents in the revolutionary
war. It was at that time an uncultivated swamp or
forest of tall cypress trees, intermingled with an
undergrowth of loblolly, bay, rattan and bamboo
briars. On the spot where the little office, which is
painted white, now stands in front of the main
building, once grew a tall cypress, the monarch of
the swamp. This tree is said to have been seven
feet in diameter, and seventy feet to the first limb.
Being hollow throughout it contained within its
base a chamber large enough to accommodate a
small family ; and the exterior or shell was per-
fectly sound, but to this singular mansion there was
no visible entrance. It was first discovered by Col.
Thomas Bludworth, a Welsh gentleman, though
now a citizen of the country. When out on a fox
chase one morning, the dogs pursued a fox to this
point, and then suddenly disappeared. He could

IX NORTH CAROLINA. 357

distinctly hear them barking, but could not deter-
mine their whereabouts. At length it occurred to
him that they must be inside of the tree ; but he
could find no hole in it, and no visible entrance.
On retracing his steps about fify yards he perceived
that the leaves and earth had been scratched up as
if by dogs' feet, and a cavern or tunnel in the earth,
large enough he supposed to admit a man, and
leading directly towards the tree. Entering this
subterranean passage and fearlessly pursuing it, he
was suddenly ushered into a spacious chamber and
found the dogs exulting over their prey, having
killed two foxes, a raccoon and a mink which had
entered the hollow of the treee, no doubt as the
usual place of their abode. It immediately occurred
to him that this tree might be converted into a
citadel for annoying the British who then had pos-
session of Wilmington ; and he returned home
revolving this project in his mind, but kept his dis-
covery and his designs a profound secret ; for such
was the perilous state of the times that their very
inmost thoughts seemed to be conveyed to the
British by the prowling, infamous Tories.

The family of the Bludworths came over to this
country many years before the Revolution, and
settled near South Washington, in JSTew Hanover
county. They are said to have been patronized by
the celebrated Sir William Jones, who was himself
a Welshman, and one of the most learned men in
Europe. The old Colonists used to exhibit his
letters to them with much pride, and expressed for
him a most affectionate regard. They were poor,
24

358 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

but not illiterate. They were moral and indus-
trious, with strong national feelings, regarding
themselves as the pure original Britons, whom the
mongrel Anglo-Saxon race had driven from their
homes, and despoiled of their property. Of course
they held the English in utter abhorrence ; and
when the war of the Revolution broke out, they
joined the patriots to a man. It used to be a
common saying among the Whigs that you might
as well expect to find " a mare's nest," as a Welsh
Tory. They furnished many a gallant spirit for
the contest ; and amid the general excitement and
cry for vengeance after the massacre at Rouse's it
was not to be expected that the Welsh would be
idle spectators.

The Bludworths all had a mechanical genius,
and being like Tubal Cain, very cunning in the
working of metals, they manufactured sword-blades,
pikes, pistols, and the very best of rifles. When
Col. Blud worth discovered the hollow tree, he
thought that he could make a rifle which would
carry, with sufficient accuracy, a two ounce ball to
the dock of Market street. Accordingly he set to
work, and made a rifle of uncommon length and
calibre. With this he practised shooting at a
target, the distance which he supposed the tree to
be from Market Dock; and having an accurate eye
for mensuration, he was probably not far wrong.
The experiment succeeded according to his wishes ;
for having drawn the figure of a man on his barn
door, he never failed to lodge a ball in it every
shot, but still kept his intentions a profound secret.

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 359

One fine day in Jul) 7 , he said to his son Tim, then
a small lad, and to Jim Paget, a lath of an urchin
in his employ, " Come, boys, let us see if we can't
start a fox, or tree a raccoon, this morning ; but as
it may be a long hunt, suppose we take some prog
along with us." So saying, he filled two wallets
with provisions, and laying them on the shoulders
of the two boys, he took old Bess, as he called his
new made rifle, with an augur and a large jug in
his hand to hold water. Thus equipped, they
entered a canoe on the North-east Eiver, and set
their compass for Negro-head Point. On arriving
at the tree, he disclosed his plans to the boys as
follows : " Well, boys, yonder cypress tree is to be
our home for two weeks to come, and mayhap it
may be our everlasting home. There is a large
hollow in.it, capable of lodging us comfortably, and
as it is adapted to my purpose, I want to take
possession of it for a time.

"It will be necessary to erect a little scaffold, and
to make an opening in the tree, fronting Market
Dock, where the British are in the habit of assem-
bling. This opening must be large enough to
admit the muzzle of old Bess ; and when she goes
off' in that direction, with the right charge of pow-
der and lead, somebody's head may ache ; but not
ours : at least the hardest must fend off. Now, if
you think yon can stand to it without flinching, say
so ; if not, say so — and you can go home, and old
Tom will try his luck alone." The boys gave three
cheers, and said they would stand by him to the
last ; when they all entered the aperture, one after

360 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

another, and were soon in the hollow of the tree.
Tim commenced boring a hole, to admit old Bess,
standing on the shoulders of his father, and sup-
ported by Jim Paget. A scaffolding was soon
erected with pieces of timber, brought in from the
swamp ; and additional holes were bored higher up
in the tree to admit light and air. Old Bess was
soon in the proper place, and ready for action.
There were, however, several bay trees in front,
which completely concealed the lower part of the
cypress; but by cutting away a few limbs and
leaves, a full view was given of the British on Mar-
ket wharf. It so happened, that in the summer,
from ten o'clock in the morning, until sun-down,
the wind sets almost uniformly up the river, serving
to bear away the smoke of the rifle in a northerly
direction among the cypress trees, deadening the
report at the same time, and thus concealing it from
the enemy.

The morning of the 4th of July, the day of
American Independence, was the time fixed on for
old Bess's introduction to his Majesty's loyal sub-
jects. "You see, boys," said the Colonel, "that
group of Britishers, with their red coats, standing
before Nelson's liquor store, on Market wharf?
Now, I'll just dispatch a two- ounce ball, to inquire
what they are doing there this morning; and po-
litely to ask after the health of Major Craig, and
that infernal Tory, Captain Gordon, of the dra-
goons." Crack went the rifle. " See, by blood !"
said Tim, "there is a man down, and four others
are lifting him into the shop." " Very good," said

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 361

the Colonel, wiping out the gun, filling his charger
with powder, and carefully emptying it into the
muzzle, then taking out a patch from the breech,
rubbing it in the tallow box, placing it under the
ball at the muzzle, and carefully ramming it clown.
" Fix my seat, Tim, and I'll try if I can send another
into the shop to look after the first." Another report
of the rifle — " There, I'll be darned to small flinders,"
said Jim Paget, " if another 'aint down ! and see,
they are bearing the red-coat into the shop." Utter
consternation seemed to prevail on the wharf: men
were running to and fro, some pointing one way,
and some another ; but no one suspecting the secret
source of their annoyance. The drums began to
beat to arms, and the fifes to squeal; but all in
vain; they were struck down by an unknown and
invisible hand. As if impelled by fate, a column
of soldiers now marched down to the wharf, with
colors flying, drums beating, and fifes discoursing
most martial music.

"Now, Kurnel," said Jim, "suppose you let me
try my hand this time."

" But Jim," said the Colonel, "do you think that
you can hold the gun steady ?"

" To be sure I can," said Jim. " 'Tis true, my
shanks and arms are none of the biggest ; but I
think I can do that thing."

The colonel surrendered to Jim, who took steady
aim and drew trigger. In a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, there was a universal fluttering in the
dove cote ; and the column deployed, scattering in
every direction.

362 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

Jim, elated with his success, said, " Kurnel, old
Bess must have been rude and offensive to them
thar folks. They seem to cut her acquaintance, and
are not at all fond of her society; she has been
impudent to them, no doubt ; for I have allers
hearn that they are a mighty well bred clever folks,
and don't like to have rough-shod rebel missionaries
to come preachin' among 'em."

"But see, Jim," said the colonel, " they are taking
to their boats, and we may have to leave here in
double quick time, but wait and see."

The boats were rowed across the river to the ferry
landing on the opposite side. Having called a
council, and judging that the shot must have come
from the swamps on that side, they divided and
began to penetrate the swamp, some on the left and
some on the right ; but no boat came in the direc-
tion of Negro-head Point, from which they deemed
it impossible that a rifle ball could reach them.

"Now, boys," said the colonel, "this will do for
the first day's work. Open the provisions ; and after
having paid our respects to the outer, let us try if
we can comfort the inner man."

On waking next morning, they discovered no
one stirring on Market wharf, and a death-like
stillness seemed to prevade the town. Presently,
however, the drum and fife struck up the morning
reveille ; and the usual hum and bustle were heard
in the streets ; but still no one approached Market
wharf, which had been the theatre for the display of
Bess' prowess on the day before.

" What, ye have got shy, have ye ?" said Jim

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 363

" Wait 'till grog time, which, with these Britishers,
is allers about ten o'clock, for they say the sun rises
an hour too late in this country, and if you don't see
Nelson's liquor shop crowded with red coats, then
I'm a liar. We need be in no hurry ; for the wind
won't fairly set up the river before that time."

Sure enough, Jim proved no false prophet in
Israel ; for just as the hour arrived, several red
coats were seen gliding rapidly into the shop as if
fearful that they would be shot down in their transit.
Towards twelve o'clock, meeting with no molesta-
tion, they became more confident, and assembled as
usual in groups before the door.

" Now, Kurnel," said Jim, " suppose you intro-
duce Bess among them agin ;" and no sooner said
than done. Crack went the rifle, and another pros-
trate Briton was carried into the shop.

The gun having been reloaded, as a dragoon rode
down to the dock to water his horse, " There,
Kurnel," continued Jim, "that's a mighty purty
feather in that feller's cap. I think a little wetting-
would improve it ; try and dip it in the river."
Another blast of the rifle ; and the dragoon and the
plume lay in the water.

The man was hurriedly borne up the street, the
drums beat to arms again, and boatmen were sent
out to scour the swamp on the opposite side ; but
returned with the same result as before. Our adven-
turers had been amusing themselves with this
pastime for a week or more when a prowling Tory
informed the British that old Tom Bludworth had
been for some time from home ; that he had taken

364 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

■with him a large rifle of his own manufacture, and
that, as he must be concealed somewhere in the
swamps, he was probably the author of this mis-
chief. The sagacious Tory also thought it possible,
though not very probable, that Negro-head Point
was the place of his concealment, and advised them
to give it a thorough search, to cut down all the
under growth and some of the cypress trees, so as
to afford no hiding place for the d — d rebels.

One morning early the Colonel said to his son :
" Tim, are not those boats coming towards this place."

"I think they be, father ; shall we retreat or wait
the result ?"

" Why," said Jim Paget, " if Tim will only shut
up that thar hole where old Bess peeps out when
she wants to pry into other people's biziness, I
think we might as well stay here; for it will take
good eyes to look into this here holler."

Jim's advice was taken, and the hole was ingeni-
ously closed up. In the mean time the boats
approached, and having landed twenty men at the
Point, they proceeded instantly with their axes to
cut away the under-growth and some of the cypress
trees ; but it was late in the evening before they
got to the cypress where our heroes lay concealed.

" Well," said a soldier, as he struck an axe into
it, "as it is now sun-down, suppose we let this huge
fellow stand until morning; but it must be cut
down, for it is so large that it obstructs the view
into the swamp beyond."

" It will be a herculean labor," said an officer, not
suspecting that it was hollow r , "and it is too late to

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 365

undertake it now ; but let ten axes encounter it at
sun-rise to-morrow morning."

The inmates of the tree, who had thought that
their last hour was approaching, now began to
breathe more freely; and, not doubting that they
could make their escape in the course of the night,
they began to feel that they had a prospect of more
days to live. The officer called off the men — all
except the ten who were to be employed next morn-
ing in the charitable work of removing the tree —
and returned to town. The ten men who were left
retired to a large yawl floating at the point, spread
over it an awning, and unceremoniously went to
sleep, leaving three sentinels posted, one at the
yawl, one a few hundred yards up the North-West,
and another about the same distance up the North-
East river, near the place of the old ferry landing.
There was a small recess in the river, concealed by
rushes where our adventurers had left the canoe
which brought them down, and which was to serve
them again in time of need. Unfortunately, as it
seemed to them, this recess was only a few feet
from one of the sentinels, and to reach it unobserved
they thought was impossible. The first thing that
occurred to them was to creep up and tomahawk
him at his post ; but, much to their gratification,
they were relieved from this bloody alternative.

Jim had left the tree unobserved by the others,
and had gone forward for the purpose of recon-
noitering, but, as bad luck would have it, when he
had approached within ten steps of the North
East sentinel, cautiously and silently opening the

366 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

rushes as lie advanced, a rotten rattan snapped short
in his hand as he was endeavoring to thrust it aside
and seemed to expose him to imminent danger of
being shot, " Who goes there?" cried the sentinel,
and at the same time presenting his piece in the
direction of the sound ; but Jim, who had got his
diploma for imitating the voices of sundry animals,
wild and tame, only answered with a grunt, which
was the perfect imitation of a piney-woods hog.
"0, blast your long snout," said the sentinel, "I
might have known it was you, for who the devil
would be fool enough to be eat up by the musqui-
toes in the swamp at this time of night ? There
will be little use for you to-night," said he, address-
ing his gun, and resting it on a stump, and then,
leaning himself against a tree, in a few minutes, he
began to snore with his mouth wide open, as Jim
could plainly see by the light of the moon. Has-
tening back to his companions, he said to them,
"Come, quickly! the cussed crittur is fast asleep,
with his mouth wide open ; but 'tis a pity to kill
him ; so we'll just thrust a gag in his mouth to keep
him from hollering ; and if he does holler, I'll tell
him this hatchet shall taste his skull, and I'll swagger
but he'll keep quiet." Then cutting a round stick,
and tying a string to each extremity, he went up to
the guard and instantly thrust the stick between his
jaws, tying the string behind his neck, and leaving
him, bound hand and foot in the swamp. These
gallant adventurers now returned home in safety
and without molestation; but the Englishmen, on
finding the sentinel next morning at his post bound

IN NOKTH CAEOLINA. 367

hand and foot, and on attacking the big cypress,
according to orders, soon had the secret of their
annoyance brought to light, and though much mor-
tified, they were saved any further trouble in that
direction. They soon after evacuated the town, as
before related, and went where they had perhaps
more important work to do, but not more glory in
the result.

Closing Scenes of the Wae.

The fall of 1781 closed the military operations of
the revolutionary struggle in this State, except the
murders and depredations of Col. Fanning and his
party, which were continued until the next summer,
and were detailed in the first volume of this work.
As the closing scenes of every drama are viewed
with increasing interest, we would like to give as
minutely as possible, the last incidents of this long-
continued and momentous conflict, but the limits
assigned to this volume will not permit.

In the month of August, Gen. Eutherford, having
been exchanged, returned from his captivity at St.
Augustine, and resumed the command in his former
district. He was soon informed of the state of
things in the region of the Cape Fear and Pedee
rivers, and received from the officers of the sur-
rounding country a request for assistance. With
characteristic promptness, he ordered out the next
detachment liable for duty, to rendezvous on Little
river, in Montgomery county, by the loth of Sep-
tember, and there assembled on the plantation of a

368 KEVOLUTIONAKY INCIDENTS

Mr. Robinson, near the appointed time, about nine
hundred and fifty of the infantry and near two
hundred cavalry, seventy of whom were equipped
as dragoons. They were in two troops, one under
Capt. Simmons, of Rowan, the other under Capt.
Graham, of Mecklinburgh. Robert Smith, of Meck-
linburgh, was appointed Major, and invested with
the command of the whole cavalry. While here,
the enemy had their spies among them, who re-
ported from time to time, but this only made an
impression in favor of the Whigs. Near the end of
the month, they commenced their march, by slow
movements, on the road towards Fayetteville, and
received some small accessions as they advanced.
Capt. John Gillespie joined them with a troop from
Guilford ; Capt. Bethel was there with a troop from
the same county, and Colonel Owen, with thirty-five
mounted men from Bladen. Their whole force was
now about fourteen hundred men, three hundred
and fifty horse, and ten hundred and fifty foot.
This was an army which had nothing to fear in that
region, and they had only to march through the
country.

The Tories had never dispersed since the capture
of Gov. Burke, and about six hundred of them were
now embodied on the Raft Swamp, under Ray,
McDougal and McNeill, (" one-eyed Hector.") Gen.
Graham says, they were informed that Col. Fanning
was not with them. The tradition of the neighbor-
hood says he Avas there, but was one of the first
that fled. When the reinforcements were received,
Major Smith was raised to the rank of colonel, and

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 369

Captain Graham to that of major. These light
troops scoured the country, and being in advance
of the infantry, did all the fighting. As soon as the
cavalry approached, they fled in every direction,
and made no organized or general resistance, for
they had neither the discipline nor the firmness
necessary to face such men under such officers.

The Whigs came upon them on the causeway of
the Raft Swamps, each of them two or three hundred
yards wide, and rode over them, cut them with their
sabres, and tumbled the riders and their sand hill
ponies off the causeway into the water, where
probably some of them were drowned. At a cer-
tain point, they had taken their stand on the rising
ground, intending to give the Whigs "Jesse,' 1 as
they came out of the Swamp ; bat as soon as they
saw them, on their big western horses, rushing
through like a torrent, they were frightened out of
their wits and fled in utter confusion. Sixteen of
them were known to have been killed and about
fifty wounded. The Whigs lost one or two horses,
and had one man killed, John McAdoo, who was
greatly lamented as a man of tried firmness and
dauntless courage. Some of the Tories then fled to
the " Neutral Ground," and some left the country ;
but most of them gave in their submission.

Since writing the above, I received from a friend
in that region some memoranda of the affair on the
Raft Swamp, such as he could gather, and all he
could gather, from the most reliable traditions still
current in the country. They say there were nine
or ten killed, but they are not certain as to the num-

370 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

ber, and, as the men were from so many different
counties, probably they never knew how many were
wounded. Gen. Graham, who was a prominent
actor in the scene and whose account is, therefore,
the more reliable one, says there were sixteen killed
and about fifty wounded. They all agree, however,
that about six hundred of the Tories were embodied
there and that was about the number they had in
the battle on Cane Creek. In fact they had never
disbanded entirely, but kept together and practised
daily in the military exercises like any other army.
The Governor was captured in Hillsboro', Sep. 13,
and on the loth of October they were routed on
the Raft Swamp. So that, after marching with their
prize all the way from Hillsboro' to Wilmington,
they could not have had more than a few days to
rest and refresh the men. When they arrived, with
Gov. Burke, at MoFall's mill, the place of general
rendezvous for all the Tories east of the Yadkin, at
least during the latter part of the war, he was sent
off to Wilmington, guarded by a detachment under
the command of Col. Ray. Fanning, having had
his arm broken, only a few days before, in the bat-
tle on Cane Creek, it seems, did not go, but remained
with the main body until he knew that the prisoner
was safely delivered to Major Craig and then re-
turned to his old haunts near Cross-hill. In a few
days, it is said, he and Maj. Elrod came down, but
without any men ; and, after consulting for some
time with the principal officers, left in the evening.
During this transient visit of Fanning and Elrod,
for consultation, the men Avere reviewed on or near

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 371

the spot on which Floral College now stands, and
they then numbered three hundred, or the rise,
though many from the adjoining counties had, no
doubt, after an absence of several weeks, gone, on
furlough, to visit their families and would return
before the battle. The number brought by Fan-
ning and Elrod did not, it is said, fall much short of
three hundred, making, in all, about six hundred.
Within a week after their visit for consultation,
when Rutherford was approaching and was probably
near Drowning creek, or within a day's march of
McFall's mill, Fanning and Elrod returned with all
the men they could raise. Gen. Graham says,
" They captured an old man, just from the Tory
camp, who told them there were about six hundred
men commanded by four Colonels, Eliod, (Elrod)
Eay, McNiell, (one eyed Hector) and McDougal,
but that Fanning, not having recovered from the
wound which he received on Cane Creek, was lying
out. Elrod, so far as I have been able to learn,
never ranked higher than Major, but, from appear-
ances, the old man might have taken him for a Col-
onel. McDougal had been present but, owing to a
fortunate circumstance, fortunate for him, at least,
he was not there when they were attacked by the
Whigs, or not in time to take any command.

If Fanning was not present when the attack was
made, it could hardly be on account of his broken
arm ; for it was now over a month since he met with
the accident and it must have been pretty well
healed ; but he left in good time and for other rea-
sons. He may perhaps have made that excuse, or

I

372 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

it may have been a charitable supposition on the
part of the men ; but he always perceived, as if by
instinct, jnst when he could venture to be brave,
and when " discretion was the better part of valor."
By the spies whom Gen. Graham mentions as having
been present when Gen. Kutherford was collecting
his force, he must have been well informed in regard
to the number and character of his enemy ; or, with-
out any such information, his own sagacity and his
knowledge of the country must have taught him that
such a man as Kutherford would not come into that
region without an adequte force, and, that the Scotch
on their sand-hill ponies,, even with equal numbers,
would be no more before those western men on their
fine western horses, than chaff before the wind. He
would not have had command of more than his own
men, if he had been there, as the Scotch were unwil-
ling to be commanded by him ; but, if he had been
the commanding officer, he had more sense than to
encounter a superior force of western men, com-
manded by such officers as Rutherford, Smith, Gra-
ham and others, whose character for skill and bravery
was well known over the State. He knew well what
would be the result; and, rather than witness the
destruction, or entire discomfiture of his friends, he
very prudently left when he found that the enemy
was nearly within striking distance.

Before Fanning and Elrod joined them with the
men they had collected, Col. McNeill, "One-eyed
Hector," as he was afterwards called, had marched
his army down about five miles below McFall's mill
and encamped in the woods at the mouth of Brown's,

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 373

now McDougal's branch, on the south-west side of
the Little Raft Swamp, and about a mile above the
Lowry road, where they were joined by Fanning
and Elrod. At the battle on Cane Creek, as before
stated, where old Col. Hector McNeill was killed j
McDougal was put in his place; but that was in-
tended to be only a temporary appointment. When
the danger was over, according to tradition, another
Hector McNeill was put in the place, to conceal the
death of the old Colonel, and he continued in office.
Still McDougal may also have been permitted to
retain his appointment in honor of his services on
that occasion; but be this as it may, none of them
having much to do, he left head-quarters and went
on a visit to his old Whig friend, Neill Brown, Esq.,
who lived some four or five miles south, on the
south-west side of Eichland swamp, where he stayed
a day or two. Next morning (the second morning
of this visit, I presume,) word came to the army that
Gen. Rutherford had arrived at McFall's mill ; and
they just supposed that, in a day or two, he might
come down, or perhaps send forward a detachment
to reconnoitre their camp, and perhaps "beat up
their quarters," a little.

After some consultation, they concluded to cross
the Little Raft Swamp, and take their stand upon the
face of the hill, on the north-east side, on the Lowry
road, and there " give the Whigs Jesse" as they
came out of the swamp, which they would have to
do on a causeway, that was little better than none.
They did not expect an immediate attack, yet they
sent up Daniel M'Arn, and another man as a scout,
25

374 EEVOLUTIONAEY INCIDENTS

to get information. M'Dougal had heard nothing
of Rutherford's approach, but he concluded to visit
the army this morning. Brown told him, merely
as an act of courtesy, to leave his horse, and ride
his mare, a fine young animal, which he did. " The
army" crossed the swamp, not in any order, but as
they found it convenient : and just while they were
doing so, M'Dougal rode up. When the front got
over, they met a traveller on foot, and carrying a
bundle hung over his shoulder on a staff. Laying
aside his bundle, he sat down to rest and talk.
"When " the army" had crossed, they were all con-
sulting and talking, some sitting, and others lolling
on the ground, but none of them were in order for
battle, when M'Arn and the other man who had
been sent out for information, were seen coming at
full speed, their horses almost run down. On
coming up, they announced that the Whigs were
coming in full gallop, and were close at hand.
While they were yet speaking, Major Graham and
his dragoons came in sight, having seen M'Arn
and pursued him.

The Tories had taken up the bridge, and thought
that no mortal would then attempt to cross ; but
Graham and his men, on their big horses plunged
in, and floundered through, much to the surprise
of the Scotch, and then formed into line by turning
to the right and left as they cleared the swamp.
At this moment all was confusion among the Tories,
and some fled at first sight. Others tried to get
into order, and about thirty -five did so ; but as soon
as the Whigs were formed into line and started up

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 375

the "bill at a gallop, they all fled, each one his own
way, and M'Dougal among them, on his young
mare, and using his cocked hat for a switch.

The poor traveller, noticed above, feeling con-
scious that he had done nothing worthy of death,
apprehended no danger, and made no efforts to get
out of the way ; but when the dragoons were ap-
proaching, his fears were excited. Dropping on
his knees, he began to beg for his life, but in vain.
In the thoughtlesness of the moment, and impelled
by their excited feelings, one man pulled out a pis-
tol and shot him down, without breaking their gal-
lop, however, or retarding their pursuit of the
flying enemy. They kept the road in a north-
easterly direction, towards the Big Eaft Swamp ;
and this probably gave their enemies a better op-
portunity of attacking them en masse, while they
crowded, jostling each other, and thus retarding their
own progress over the long and narrow causeway.

In what was then an old field, but now owned
and cultivated by John McMillan, William Watson
was overtaken and cut down. His brother John,
who was only a few paces ahead, was also cut down
when in the act of turning round to beg for his
life. These were both from the swamps on the
Cape Fear ; and a little further on they shot down
Thomas Watson, of another family, but he got to
Edward Campbell's that night, where he lived a
week and died. They next cut down Peter McKel-
lar, from Ashpole, who was buried at the road-side
where he fell, and a small post, with the initials of
his name near the top, still marks the place of his

376 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

grave. A little above the road, on the hill of the
Big Eaft Swamp, two or three others were cut
down whose names are now forgotten. Soon after
I came into this part of the country, and before I
had the least thought of ever publishing anything
on the subject, William Eyan, Esq., who was one
of our most upright and estimable citizens, and
who was on that expedition against the Tories, told
me that when they came to the Big Raft Swamp,
" it looked funny" to see the little Scotch ponies,
that had been jostled off the causeway, and had
sunk into the water on each side, some with their
heads, and some with only their noses, above the
surface, while others had, no doubt, sunk entirely,
and were never seen again. While a cluster of
them were thus amusing themselves, they saw the
bushes on one of the tussocs shaking, and on
observing it closely, they saw the face of a little
oldish looking Scotchman peering through the
leaves. James Shannon, of this county, beckoned
him to come out, but without any thought that he
would be treated with inhumanity. Some one of
the men present was going to shoot him on the
spot ; but Ryan said he himself begged them not
to do it, and told them that it would be a shame to
kill such a man, and when entreating them most
earnestly by looks and signs to spare his life.
They would have spared his life, but while engaged
in trying to hold some intelligible communication
with him, some one — Major Charles Polk, I think,
or Devil Charley, as he was generally called — rode
up, and asked them if that was the way they were

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 377

obeying the General's order. The little Scotchman,
reading Polk's determination in his countenance,
attempted to run and make his escape to the
Swamp, which was not far off; but Polk took after
him, and either shot him, or cut him down with
his sword. The traditions of that neighborhood
say that Polk split his head open with his sword,
and then returned wiping the blood off with his
hand. William Morrison, father of the Eev. Robert
Hall Morrison, D. D., was one of the party, and
always spoke of it afterwards with a kind cf horror.
He said it made the flesh crawl on his bones, and
he regarded it as nothing but murder. Ryan,
when giving me the account, spoke of it in the
same way, and said that the very thought of it
made him feel awful.

A young man of some distinction was also killed,
on the south side of Rock Fish. His body remained
there until two women, a Mrs. Black and another
dug a hole and buried him, for such was the terror
inspired by the Whigs, that no man would venture
to perform even that duty. A marsh near the
place where he was buried took his name, and is
still called Armstrong's Marsh. Peter Robisson lost
his horse on that occasion, having been wounded
and mired down in a branch ; but in a few days he
got out and was taken on his way home, with all
his trappings and baggage safe. A Joseph Corbett
was called on by a small party and told to come out
into the yard to be shot, as they did not wish to
bloody the floor. He did as he was ordered and
placed his hands, one over the other, opposite to

378 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

his heart. The charge was directed to that point.
He fell and was left for dead ; but he recovered,
some of the shot remaining in his hands and the
rest so much weakened that his life was saved.
He also died at an advanced age. I saw a man, by
the name of Archibald Black, who had been shot
down and afterwards received some blows on the
head with a sword. He died a few years ago in
Florida. The charge had lodged in his shoulder,
and, as the ball was never extracted, he generally
complained of some inconvenience. At the same
time a brother of his was killed, and probably
others who are now forgotten.

By the discomfiture of the Tories on the Eaffc
Swamp, and by the energetic measures which were
immediately adopted and carried out, they were so
frightened and scattered, that they never attempted
again to embody. When they found that General
Rutherford was remaining in that region, and send-
ing out his dragoons in every direction, and pene-
trating the swamps in search of them, with a bold-
ness which struck them with amazement, they began
to think that he was determined to put them all to
the sword ; and they either came in and surrendered
at discretion, or fled beyond his reach. Maj. Gainey
had some time before made a truce with General
Marion, that there should be a cessation of hostili-
ties within a certain district or portion of South
Carolina, lying on or near the Pedee ; and many of
the discomfited and frightened Tories, fled to the
" Truce," as the place was now called. Many of the
robbers and desperadoes of the country also fled to

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 879

"tlic truce;" and thus "the truce" became a con-
siderable advantage to the country. From this
time, the Tories were virtually conquered ; and very
few murders and depredations were afterwards com-
mitted by the two political parties as such. . Having
given the traditionary accounts of the affair on the
Eaft swamp, we return now to the narrative of Gen.
Graham, who, from his character, and his having been
an actor in the scene, is the more full and reliable.
Having so effectually subdued the Tories in that
region, Gen.. Rutherford moved down the river, on
the south side, towards Wilmington ; but after
going some distance he divided his forces and ad-
vanced on both sides. Leaving a strong detachment,
under Col. Smith, with orders to continue on the
same route, he crossed the river himself, with the
main body, and went down on the north side
Smith's party took a few prisoners and had a little
skirmishing, but met with no serious opposition
from the Tories. A brick house, opposite to Wil-
mington, was garrisoned by fifty British and fortified
by abattis. To gratify the importunity of the men,
the officers yielded, contrary to their better judg-
ment, and an attempt was made to " storm the
castle ;" but without success and with very little
loss. On learning that a hundred Tories were en-
camped on the plantation of a Mr. More, a mile or
two below, a detachment of ninety men, under
Major Graham, was sent to disperse them, which
they did without any serious loss. Twelve of the
Tories were killed and about thirty wounded. Con-
tinuing their march, they were attacked in the

380 KEVOLUTIONAEY INCIDENTS

night by Col. Gainey with about eighty of his fol-
lowers ; but were repulsed with the loss of one man
killed and a few wounded. The Whigs had one
man killed, Lieutenant Clarke, and several horses
wounded. In the course of the following day Col.
Lee arrived with the intelligence that the British
army under Cornwallis had surrendered at York-
town, and in a day or two more, the British troops
under Major Craig, evacuated Wilmington.

After Lord Cornwallis surrendered to General
Washington, at Yorktown, Oct. 19th, 1781, and
Major Craig left Wilmington, about the first of
November following, it was a fearful time with the
Tories until peace was concluded, in the fall of
1783, and could be carried into effect. The treaty
made provision for them, but it required a few years
to get order established, and secure their safety.
In the meantime, many of those who had been most
active and prominent, fled from the country, — some
went back to Scotland, and some to the AYest
Indies ; but most of them went to Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick, where the British government
had made provision for them. Some, however, of
the most active and efficient among them, remained
until law and order were established, and found
concealment in the swamps or protection under the
wing of Whig friends. Captain John McLean, for
example, — Sober John, who had Gov. Burke and
the other prisoners in charge, from Hillsboro' to
Wilmington, because he would not get drunk, left
his family on Upper Little river, and took his
negroes down to the swamps on the Cape Fear,

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 381

nearly opposite to the Bluff Church, where he rented
land from his Whig friend, John Smith, and under
his protection, dwelt in safety until the danger was
over. Alexander McKay went to the West Indies,
became wealthy and died there. Capt. Daniel
McNeill, Col. Duncan Eay, Col. Archcl. McDougal,
and a number of others, went to Nova Scotia.
Captain McNeill made that his home, and with the
exception of one short visit to North Carolina, lived
there to quite an advanced age ; but Col. Eay re-
turned to his family in North Carolina as soon as he
could do it with safety. Col. McDougal remained
there some five or six years, during which time he
went to London and stayed there two years, then
returned to North Carolina, where he married,
raised a respectable family, and lived to a good old
age, enjoying the respect and confidence of all who
knew him. The writer became acquainted with
him a few years before his death, and can say that
he has seldom met with a more hospitable, generous
and warm-hearted old man anywhere. Col. McNeill,
" one-eyed Hector," Col. Ray, Capt. McLean, Capt,
McKay and others, also left very respectable families
and connections. The same may be said in regard
to many who were then only private individuals,
and but little known. The Hon. Laughlin Bethune,
for example, formerly a member of Congress, was
the son of the Colin Bethune, who has been already
mentioned as having been so maltreated when a
prisoner. After the English authority was finally
abolished, and before the American laws could be
properly enforced, the country abounded with thieves

382 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

and robbers, who were even more reckless and dan-
gerous than during the war, when both parties were
always armed and ready for defence or revenge.

These robbers often committed murder, and gen-
erally professed to belong to one or the other of the
political parties as suited their purpose. When
they went to the house of a Tory they professed to
be Whigs, and often pretended that they were acting
under authority from General Kutherford. When
they went to the house of a AYhig they professed to
be Tories ; and when they happened to have a spite
at the man, or thought themselves insulted while
there, they took his life. The country abounded
with swamps which were so large, so densely
covered with a small growth that was peculiar to
them, and so perfectly inaccessible to horsemen,
that it was almost impossible to find or apprehend,
them. When, for the last time, they went to the
house of old Kenneth Black, of Moore county,
though he had been often robbed before, there was
still something left, and after driving the family all
into the smoke house, they searched every part of ■
the house, even the moss in the cracks, dug up the
dirt floor, and took away all the clothing and bed-
ding, household and kitchen furniture, provisions, •
and everything they could carry. A band of these
robbers came from the Neuse region, and, in one
night, plundered the houses of Archibald McNeill,
(Ban) Mrs. Ochiltree, John McDuffee, John McKel-
lar, widow Moore, Peggy McKay, Duncan Kay and
John McKay ; but they were pursued by Captain
John McDonald and arrested. When the robbers

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 383

found themselves in danger they fled to "the truce,"
unless they were taken by surprise or suddenly en-
vironed by such a number that they could not
escape. When peace was made, "the truce" expired
and the honest Tories all returned home. The rob-
bers and all, who had made themselves particularly
odious to the community and obnoxious to the laws,
remained. The Whigs then collected a company
and went in pursuit of them. Many of them were
put to death. The rest were so reduced in number
and so overawed that they gave very little more
trouble ; but, for some time after the termination of
hostilities with England, there was a most deplora-
ble state of society, especially in those parts of the
country in which there had been such embittered
and deadly conflicts between Whigs and Tories.
War of any kind, and under any circumstances, is
demoralizing in its tendency, but a civil war, above
any other, is destructive of all regular habits, all
sound principles and all the courtesies and kind
offices which make society desirable. Thousands,
who were men of intelligence or of strong minds
and of moral and religious principles, passed through
the whole of the Eevolutionary war without any
radical deterioration of character, and afterwards
became useful members of the church as well as of
civil society, but it was not so with the masses.

When a country is wantonly invaded by a foreign
enemy, men of intelligence and moral principle, may,
with a good conscience, fight for their freedom,
their rights of conscience, their homes, their families
and all that is most dear to them in this world.

384 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

They can fight and conquer and kill, if necessary,
those of their fellow citizens who traitorously take
up arms to aid a foreign enemy in subjugating and
oppressing the country ; for the government must
be maintained and the shedding of a little blood or
the loss of a few lives is a much less evil than the
anarchy which must otherwise ensue, or the crush-
ing weight of iron-handed despotism. In such
cases good men ought, even at the risk of their
lives, to defend the inheritance which heaven has
given them. They may do it too, from a sense of
duty and not from a vindictive spirit ; but it is only
the smaller portion who have this command of
themselves. When the mass of people have got
their minds up to the point of taking each other's
lives, no matter for what cause, they soon come to
disregard all their other rights and a thirst for re-
venge and plunder becomes the ruling passion.
For ten or twelve years, including the two or
three last years of the war, that part of the country
which is now under consideration, was in a state of
wretchedness which few can conceive, and which
the pen of a McAuley or a Prescot could hardly
describe. While every thing was so insecure that it
was liable at any moment to be taken away by
stealth or robery, men had no encouragement to
labor, and they seemed to aim at providing no more
than would just enable them to subsist. Life itself
was insecure ; and no man, if he dared to sleep in
his own house at all, when he lay down at night,
could feel any degree of confidence that the house
would not be wrapped in flames over him, or that

US NORTH CAROLINA. 385

the assassin's dagger would not make him " Sleep
the sleep of death." Poverty and desolation reigned
over the country. Murder, robbery, intemperance,
licentiousness, gambling, and horse-racing every
where abounded ; and of this the records of the
county and circuit courts afford ample proof. Yet
some men could pass through all that state of things
with a character untarnished and without any radi-
cal change or deterioration of their moral principles !
Colonel Thomas Owen, father of the late Gov. Owen,
was one of this class; for he would do nothing
more, they say, than his duty as an officer and the
necessities of his men required ; and their des-
cendants have a high regard for his memory to this
day. He was firm, energetic and enterprising ; but
he was humane and honorable, and he has shown
that a man who was then fighting for his country
might do his duty as faithfully as any other and
subdue his enemies, but still have their gratitude
and respect.

Colonel, afterwards General Brown, was very
severe ; and even such of the Tories as had not been
prominent in the king's service, and consequently
had not become the victims of his prowess, thought
hard of him at the time. I have never heard, even
from Tories or any body else, that he condescended
to robbery, house-burning, or any thing disreputable
to him as an officer ; but, that he did not spare such
as were found in arms, acting on the principle that
the Tories must be subdued, and the sooner it was
done the better for them as well as for the country.
Col. Peter Eobison was also a terror to the Tories,

386 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

and lie used to remark, in his playful manner, that
"a Scotchman's head would split like a green
gourd ;" but, that these men were not actuated by a
cruel or vindictive spirit, even the Tories themselves
seemed afterwards to be convinced ; for after peace
was concluded, and the independence of the country
was acknowledged by Great Britain, they found that
these very men were the best friends they had.
When John McPherson, for example, and a number
of others went down to Elizabethtown to make their
submission and take the oath of allegiance to the
State, they were treated with the greatest possible
civility and kindness by the Eobisons. "While
there and when leaving, they accompanied them out
of town some distance, to protect them from the in-
sults to which they might be exposed.

At the commencement of the war, the great mass
of the Tories, Highlanders and Eegulators, were
conscientious men ; but, before the close of it, con-
science had become very feeble, at least in a large
majority. Their relative numbers, too, appear to
have been greatly increased, partly, we presume, by
accessions from the ranks of those who never had
much conscience or sense of character ; and partly
by the falling off from the Whig ranks of the timid
and the worthless. The uniform tendency of war
is to produce a general deterioration of moral prin-
ciple, a fondness for plunder, a thirst for revenge,
and a reckless disregard of consequences. Let it be
recollected now, that one design of the writer in this
detail of incidents, has been to give the community
at the present day, some idea of the horrors attend-

IN NORTH CAROLINA. 387

ing a civil war, and to hold up the deplorable state
of things then existing as a warning against disunion
and every thing which might tend to produce anar-
chy and bloodshed. The union of these States is
the glory of the nation, and on its preservation de-
pends the perpetuity and boundless increase of that
prosperity and happiness which we have hitherto
enjoyed. While that is maintained, we shall have
no anarchy and no civil war ; but to preserve it in its
full vigor requires vigilance, enlightened patriotism
and honesty of purpose.

Some may think there is no danger that such a
state of things will ever again exist in this country,
but we think this a mistake, and so do much wiser
and better men. It is a very few years since we
were within less than a " hand's breadth" of being
hurried into all the untold miseries of a civil war ;
and had it not been for the unwonted exertions of the
most talented and patriotic men in the nation, the
country would ere this have been inundated with
blood. If the country were now invaded by
England, or any other nation, the whole of the
Protestant community, at least, would be united as
one man in defence of their glorious inheritance,
and we have nothing to fear from foreign invasion.
The danger is at home ; and that there is danger
from internal dissensions in a country of such
immense extent, and in which there are so many
local interests of such a diversified and important
character, there can be no question. Nor would
the contest now, in case of civil war, be less fierce
and bloody, or less strongly marked by deeds of

388 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS

ferocity, than in the Revolutionary struggle. Human
nature is still the same in all its attributes, and the
same causes would produce the same effects.

At first blush it seems hard that when we were
fighting for liberty of conscience, the Highlanders
and Regulators, who were so conscientious in re-
gard to their oath, should have to suffer for con-
science's sake ; but it was one of those cases which
admit of no remedy. We do not blame them for
being conscientious ; but we are sorry that they had
such a conscience, — sorry, we mean, that they had
not enjoyed ampler means of information, or that
they had not been better acquainted with their
rights, with the true import of their oaths to the
king, and with the whole controversy between the
mother country and her colonies. Providence is
moving on the affairs of this world towards the
final accomplishment of his purposes, and if men
are not prepared for any important crisis when it
occurs, they must suffer the consequences. The
intellect may be cultivated in a high degree, while
the moral powers, or the conscience, and the reli-
gious affections are entirely neglected; and then
the influence is uniformly bad, if not utterly
blighing and destructive ; or the moral powers
may be in a good degree cultivated, while the
intellect is left an entire blank in everything
except the mere elements of moral truth and duty,
and then in times which require an acquaintance
with all subjects of a practical kind, a discernment
of great principles in their bearing on existing cir-
cumstances, and a promptness to act as occasion

IN" NORTH CAROLINA. 389

requires, the deficiency of general knowledge and
mental culture becomes the source of trouble to all
who may be directly or indirectly concerned. In
such a condition were the great mass of the Scotch
during the war ; and their case shews the necessity
of having a general system of education, and of
taking active measures for the universal diffusion
of intelligence among all classes of the community.
It appears that the people may be entirely wrong
even in the most important matters, and honestly
think they are right ; but their sincerity does not
shield them from the consequences of their ignorance
and their mistakes. It is perhaps worthyof remark
however, that a man who gets wrong on principle is
very apt, if he has the means of information, to get
right on principle ; and those who do so make the
very best citizens. There is probably not a more
public-spirited and law-abiding people in the country
than the descendants of the Scotch Tories. In no
part of the State are schools of high order more
liberally endowed, or more extensively patronized.
Newspapers and periodicals of every kind circulate
freely. Useful books of all kinds are found in
almost every house, and many of them have respec-
table libraries. In improvements of every kind
they are going ahead, and feel as much as any others
the importance of getting some literature of our
own. Whoever will go among them, and become
acquainted, will say that he has hardly ever been
among a more intelligent, hospitable and kind
hearted people ; and will soon forget that he is in
what was once a Tory region, or that such scenes as
26

390 REVOLUTIONARY INCIDENTS.

we have described were ever witnessed there. The
writer speaks from experience, and has no fear of
being found a false witness. For example, instead
of being ashamed to have it said that they are the
descendants of Tories, and trying to conceal what
they know, I have found them as ready and cheer-
ful as any others in furnishing me with whatever
facts they had or could readily obtain. They say, very
justly, that if their fathers were in the wrong, they
were honestly so, and that the more is known about
them the more favorable will their character appear.
We are now all one people, and the sins or mis-
takes of the fathers are no longer to be visited upon
the children. Except in some particular neighbor-
hoods, there are few descendants of Tories, now in
the third generation, who have not some Whig
blood in their veins, and few descendants of Whigs,
especially of those in the early part of life, who
have not some Tory blood. Henceforth every one
must stand by his own merits or fall for the want of
them ; for a free and enlightened government is no
respecter of persons, and an intelligent, liberal-
minded and free people, in the bestowment of their
suffrages, will regard nothing but intellectual and
moral qualifications. Free institutions seem to have
a wonderfully assimulating influence on the character
of mankind, and it should be the prayer of every
Christian, and of every patriot, not only that the pros-
perity and happiness which we now enjoy may be per-
petual here, in this land so highly favored of Heaven ;
but that they may be extended, in full measure, to
every kindred, and tongue and people under heaven.

APPENDIX.

ORDER-BOOK OF LORD CORWALLIS.

Head-quarters, Hillhouse's Plantation, 18th Jan., IT 81.

Parole, Portland. Countersign, Wight. Thursday.

The Commissary will issue to the troops three day's
meal to the 22d inst. inclusive, and one day's Rum for this
day inclusive.

Major-Gen. Leslie's Guard, 1 6 1 4

P. M. Guards, 1 6 J J

" The troops under the command of Major-Gen. Leslie
having joined Lord Cornwallis, all orders to be received
from the Deputy Adjutant- General.

General Leslie begs the commanding officers of the dif-
ferent regiments which formed his late command, will
accept his sincerest thanks for the great attention they
have paid towards the regularity of their corps. To the
officers and soldiers of which, his warmest acknowledg-
ments are due for the strictest adherence to good order
and discipline."

892 APPENDIX.

Head-quarters. Camp. Hillhouse's Plantation.
18th Jan., 1*781.
Earl Cornwallis' Orders. — 8 o'clock at night.
The army will be ready to march in column at 8 o'clock
to-morrow morning, in the following order :

Yagers, N. Carolina Volunteers, Provision Train,

Corps of Pioneers, 2 Six-Pounders, Bat. Horses.

2 Three-Pounders, Lt. Webster's Brigade, Ammunition Wagons,

Brigade Guards, General's Wagons, Regiment's Wagons,

Regiment de Bose, Field Officers, do., Hospital do.,

A Captain, two Subalterns and one hundred men from
Lieut. -Col. Webster's Brigade will form a rear guard.

Head-quarters. Smith's House, 19th Jan., 1781.
Parole, St. Albans. Countersign, Leipstadt. Friday.

" The troops to be under arms precisely at two o'clock.
The corps to march in the same order as this day. The
officers' bat horses may follow the column. Wagons
of the army, without exception, will remain on the road
near Gen. Leslie's quarters until clay-break, when they
will move under the escort of the Royal North Carolina
Yolunteers. Lieut. -Col. Hamilton will receive his orders
from Maj. -General Leslie. The commanding officers of
the different corps will examine the best communications
with those on the right, that there may be no delay or
improper interval when the line is ordered to march.
Cattle for two days will be sent on at day-break and fol-
low the march of the troops.

Head-quarters, Saunders' Plantation, 20th Jan. 1781.
Parole, Gravesend. Countersign, Windsor. Saturday.

Any officer who shall observe a break in the line of
march, will send forward to acquaint Lord Cornwallis or
the General Officer at the head of the column, and not
piss the word to halt as has been sometimes practised.

APPENDIX. 393

General after Orders. — The troops will be in readiness
to march at T o'clock to-morrow morning, in the follow-
ing order :

Royal North Carolina Volunteers, Two Six Pounders,

2 Three-Pounders, Brigade of Guards,

Lieut Col. Webster's Brigade, Bat horses,

Regiment De Bose, Wagons as ordered before.

The detachment of Pioneers under Lieut. Brown,
will follow the North Carolina regiment, and the Pioneers
of the different regiments will march with the provision
train." (Enter N. Carolina.)

"Head-quarters, 21st Jan. 1181.

Parole Countersign, Dover. Sunday.

After Orders. — The undermentioned troops will be in
readiness to march at half past six o'clock to-morrow
morning, in the following order :

Lieut. Col. Tarleton's Corps, Two Six-Pounders,

Two Three-Pounders, Lieut. Col. Webster's Brigade,

Brigade Guards.

The Bat horses of the above corps will follow the
column. All wagons and carts are to remain behind,
except those particularly ordered to go on. A detach-
ment from the Brigade of Guards will be ordered by
Brigadier-General O'Hara and one Sergeant, three Cor-
porals and one hundred and fifty privates from Lieut. -
Col. Webster's Brigade, to remain with the wagons.

The women of the different corps are to remain behind
with the baggage guards.

Brigade Orders. — Sergeant Hunt will be left to com-
mand those men left behind when the Brigade marches
away to-morrow morning.

394 APPENDIX.

Head-quarters, Stise's Plantation, 22d Jan., 1*781.

Parole. Countersign.

The troops to be in readiness to march to-morrow
morning at 1 o'clock, in order as follows :

Lieut. Col. Tartleton's Corps, Two Six-Pounders,

Two Three-Pounders, Brigade of Guards,

Lieut. Col. Webster's Brigade, The Bat Horses and Wagons will

follow the column.

Head-quarters, Tryon Court-house, 23d Jan. 1*781.
Parole. Countersign.

Upon sounding the bugle horn at half past six o'clock
to-morrow morning, the Bat horses of the army are
to be loaded, and the troops will be ready to march pre-
cisely at *l o'clock, in the following order :

Lieut.-Col. Tartleton's Corps, Lieut.-Col. Webster's Brigade,

Two Three-Pounders, Provision Wagons,

Brigade of Guards, Bat Horses of Brigade of Guards,

Two Six-Pounders, Do. do. of Lt.-Col. Webster's Brig.

The Pioneers of the different corps will march in front
of the guns.

Head-quarters, Ramsour's Mills, 26th Jan., 1*781.
Parole, Amsterdam. Countersign, Berwick.
When, upon any occasion, the troops may be ordered to
march without their packs, it is not intended they should
leave their camp-kettles and tomahawks behind them.

Memorandum. — Lord Cornwallis thinks it necessary
to repeat in orders, regulations respecting negroes and
horses, and commanding officers of brigades, as well as
those of corps must be responsible for the due observance
of them :

Horses. Negroes,

Field Officers of Infantry, 3 2 each.

Captains, Subalterns and Staff, 2 1

Serg'ts, Maj's, and Quarter-Master Serg'ts, 1 1

No woman or negro to possess a horse.

APPENDIX. 395

Brigade Orders, 26th Jan., IT 81.

There being a sufficient quantity of leather to complete
the brigade in shoes in this village, it is recommended to,
(and expected) the commanding officers of companies see
their men's shoes immediately soled and repaired, and if
possible, that every man, when they move from this ground,
take in his blanket, one pair of spare soles, as the like
opportunity may not happen for some time.

Two officers, eight non-commissioned officers, and one
hundred privates from the brigade to parade immediately
in the rear of the guns with all the bat horses of the bri-
gade, and artillery horses of the army to forage for the
same.

A proper guide will attend officers for the above duty,
Captains Swanton and Eld.

Brigade After Orders. — At one hour after day-break,
the Pickets, Quarter and Rear Guards of the brigade
will be called in, that the men may clean and wash them-
selves thoroughly.

Head-quarters, Ranisour's Mills, 26th Jan., 1181.
Parole. Countersign.

Two days flour for the officers, and two days meal for
the men to the 21th inst,, inclusive, will be issued imme-
diately.

Lord Cornwallis has great pleasure in communicating
to the troops the following extract of a letter from Lord
George Germain, dated 9th Nov. 1180.

"It is particularly pleasing to me to obey his Majesty's
command by signifying to your Lordship his Royal plea-
sure, that you do acquaint the officers and soldiers of the
brave army under your command, that their behaviour on
the glorious 16th of August is highly approved of by
their Sovereign ; and you will particularly express to

396 APPENDIX.

Lord Rawdon, Lieut. -Colonels Webster and Tarleton,
his Majesty's approbation of their judicious and spirited
conduct ; the latter has, indeed, a double claim to praise for
his great alertness in overtaking and destroying General
Sumpter's detachment, and thereby rendering the victory
at Cambden still more decisive. His Majesty has been
pleased to appoint Capt. Ross, Major in the army by
Brevet,"

Head-quarters, Ramsour's Mills, 21th Jan., 1181.
A detachment of two Captains, four Subalterns and one
hundred and fifty rank and file, are to parade as soon as
possible in front of General Leslie's Quarters to cover the
foragers of the different corps.

Detail. Captains. Subalterns. Rank and file.

Guards, 1 " 50

Lt.-Col. Webster's Brigade, " 2 40

Regiment De Bose, ] , 2 f>0
North Carolina Volunteers, j

Total 2 4 140

Brigade Orders, 21th January.
An exact return to be given in of such sick men as are
absolutely unable to march, and a return of such men as
are by lameness bad marchers ; those returns to be made
out by battalions immediately.

Head-quarters, Ramsour's Mills, 21th Jan. 1181.
Parole. Countersign.

The commanding officers of the different corps to be
responsible that no more horses are kept than the number
allowed by the regulations or orders of the 12th inst.

Those corps who are in want of pick-axes will receive
an order for them by applying to Maj.-Gen. Leslie.

After Orders. — Lord Cornwallis has ordered an extra
gill of rum to be issued to the troops immediately. The

APPENDIX. 397

troops will receive two days meal to-morrow morning,
and be ready to move at nine.

Memorandum. — If any black cloth is wanting to repair
or complete the men in gaiters, it may be had of Major
England at T o'clock to-morrow morning, near head-
quarters.

Head-quarters, Kamsour's Mills, 28th Jan., IT 81.
The army will march at 11 o'clock in the following
order :

Lt.-Col. Tartleton's corps North Carolina Regiment,

and Yagers, Two Six-Pounders,

Corps of Pioneers, Brigade Guards,

Two Three-Pounders, Ammunition and Provision Wagons,

Lt.-Col. Webster's Brigade, General Officers, Bat Horses.
Two Six-Pounders,
Regiment De Bose,

The bat horses of the army will follow with the
same order as their respective corps. Such sick as are
not able to march are to be sent to the Quarter-Master
General's Guard immediately.

Head-quarters, Beeton's (Beatie's) Ford, 28th Jan., 1*781.
Parole. Countersign.

One officer and forty men with the bat horses to
parade in the road in the front of the first Battalion
Guards in order to forage. The officers of the different
corps will give receipts for the forage they take.

Camp near Beeton's Ford, 28th Jan. 1181.
Lord Cornwallis has so often experienced the zeal and
good will of the troops, that he has not the smallest
doubt that the officers and soldiers will most cheerfully
submit to the inconveniences which must naturally attend
a war so remote from water-carriage and the magazines
of the army. The supply of rum for a time will be abso-

398 APPENDIX.

lutely impossible, and that of meal very uncertain. To
remedy the latter, it is recommended either to bruise the
Indian corn, or to rasp it after it has been soaked. Lord
Cornwallis is convinced the troops believe that he is
ever most anxiously attentive to procure for them every
comfort that the nature of the service will admit of.

As the object of our march is to assist and support
those loyalists in North Carolina, who have ever been
distinguished by their fidelity to their King and their
attachment to Great Britain, it is needless to point out
to the officers the necessity of preserving the strictest dis-
cipline and of preventing those oppressed people from
suffering violence by the hands of those from whom they
are taught to look for protection.

To prevent the total destruction of the country and
the ruin of his Majesty's service, it is necessary that the
regulation in regard to the number of horses should be
strictly observed.

Major- Gen. Leslie will be pleased to require the most
exact obedience to his orders from the officers command-
ing brigades and corps. The supernumerary horses that
may from time to time be discovered, will be sent to
head- quarters.

Head-quarters, Bowers' Plantation, 28th Jan. 1181.

After Orders. — The bat horses are to be loaded and
the troops in readiness to march, precisely at seven
o'clock to-morrow morning, in the following order :

Lt.-Col. Tarleton's corps, Two Six-Pounders,

Yagers, Lt.-Col. Webster's Brigade,

Two Three-Pounders, Cattle for the Army,

Brigade Guards, Ammunition and Provision Wagons,

Two Six-Pounders, Bat Horses of General Officers,

Regiment De Bose, Lt's. of Regiments in the same order

North Carolina Volunteers, as their different corps.

APPENDIX. 399

Camp, 29th Jan., 1781.
The officers and men may by sending to the Commis-
sary receive any proportion of salt they can conveniently
carry with them. It is understood that the men are
completed for twenty days.

Head-quarters, Fawney's Plantation, 29th Jan., 1781.

As the delivery of provisions will probably be very
irregular, the regiments are in future to give receipts to
the Commissary only for such provisions as they receive,
instead of receipts for complete rations.

The meal will in future be issued by Messrs. Booth &
Stedman, Commissaries of Capture ; the other articles
by the Commissary General's Department.

Commanding officers of corps are desired to caution
their men against straggling, as two soldiers were taken
yesterday very near the encampment.

Camp, 29th Jan., 1781.
Parole. Countersign.

An officer and forty men with a proportion of non-
commissioned officers will parade at 7 o'clock to-morrow
morning, at the Artillery Park, to cover the foragers of
this brigade, the artillery and the provision train, who
will assemble at the same hour. A Sergeant to be sent
at half past six o'clock to head-quarters for a guide.

Brigade Orders. — As the army will not move to-
morrow morning, it is expected that the men wash, clean
and repair their necessaries, and that the ammunition is
properly inspected and dried on the men's blankets in
the sun, at a distance from the fire, and return per bat-
talion given in of all damaged cartridges ; the brigade to
be under arms at four o'clock in the afternoon, with all
their appointments.

400 APPENDIX.

General Orders, 30th Jan., 1781.
One officer and fifty privates with a proportion of non-
commissioned officers, will paracle~immediately and pro-
ceed to head- quarters, where they will receive further
orders.

Brigade Order. — When the brigade marches, the
women, and weak and sickly men, will march in the rear
of the second battalion, and in case the brigade should
be ordered forward, and they cannot keep up, they will
form a guard to the baggage park, or that the (baggage)
may be left in their charge.

Head-quarters, Fawney's Plantation, 30th Jan., 1781.
Parole, Gibralter. Countersign, Bergen.

No sick are to be carried on the wagons upon the
march, unless it is certified by a Surgeon of the hospital,
that they are not able to walk or ride on horseback.
Commanding officers of corps will apply to the Quarter-
Master General for horses to carry such sick men as are
unable to march, which horses they will return to him
again as soon as they arrive at their ground or encamp-
ment.

Head -quarters, Fawney's Plantation, 31st Jan., 1781.

Orders. — The Bat horses are to be loaded and the
army in readiness to march, precisely at 9 o'clock in the
following order :

Lt. Tarleton's Corps, North Carolina Volunteers,

Yagers, Two Six-Pounders,

Corps of Pioneers, Brigade of Guards,

Two Three-Pounders, Ammunition and Provision "Wagons,

Lt.-Col. Webster's Brigade, Bat Horses of the General Officers,

Two Six-Pounders, Bat Horses of the Regiments in the

Regiment of Bose, same order as their respective corps.

APPENDIX. 401

Head-quarters, 21st Jan., 1181.

The Guards will relieve the Provision Guard and
General Hospital, do.

No railing to be burnt on any ground whatever but by
express permission.

Head-quarters, 31st Jan. 1181.
The army will be under arms and ready to march to-
morrow morning at half past two o'clock, in two columns.
Major-General Leslie will lead the first column consist-
ing of the following corps :

Brigade of Guards, Two Three-Pounders,

Regiment De Bose, 23d Regiment,

Half the Pioneers, Lt.-Col. Tarleton's Corps.

Lieut. -Col. Webster will give orders respecting the
other column. The wagon-horses are to be harnessed,
and the Bat horses loaded, ready to move at half
past five o'clock under the escort of an officer of the
North Carolina regiment.

Brigade Orders. — Quarter-Master Furnival will be left
in charge of the baggage, sick, convalescents and women
of the brigade, and will apply at five o'clock to-morrow
morning to Lieut. -Col. Hamilton, Commanding Officer
of the North Carolina regiment for other instructions,
and will in every respect consider himself as responsible
for this charge, and for the conduct of the men under
his command.

As the Surgeons and all the Mates will march with
the brigade, it is expected proper medicines and dress-
ings are left for the sick, with directions for the same.

N. B. Horses will be applied for by Quarter-Master
Furnival to the Quarter-Master General in proper time
for the conveniency of the sick.

402 APPENDIX.

" Head-quarters, Cross roads to Salisbury,

1st Feb., 1181.
Parole. Countersign.

The Bat horses are to be loaded and the army under
arms, ready to march, at half-past five o'clock, to-morrow
morning, in the following order :

Lt. Col. Tarleton's Corps, Regiment De Bose,

Yagers, North Carolinians,

Corps of Pioneers, Two six-pounders,

Two three-pounders, Brigade of Guards,

Lieut. Col. Webster's Brigade, Ammunition and Prov'n Wagons.

Two six-pounders, Bat horses as usual.

Head-quarters, Canthard's Plantation, 2d Feb., It 81.
Parole. Countersign.

Orders. — Lord Cornwallis is highly displeased that
several houses were set on fire during the march this day,
a disgrace to the army, and that he will punish with the
utmost severity any person or persons who shall be found
guilty of committing so disgraceful an outrage. His
Lordship requests the commanding officers of corps will
endeavor to find out the persons who set fire to the
houses this day.

The Bat horses to be loaded and the army ready
to march at f o'clock in the morning. At 5 o'clock
the corps will give in the balls of the damaged cart-
ridges, and receive sufficient to complete them to forty
rounds per man.

After Orders, 2d Feb., 1Y81.

The troops to march to-morrow morning in the follow-
ing order :

Cavalry, Two Six-Pounders,

Yagers, Regiment De Bose,

Two Three-Pounders, Two Six-Pounders,

Brigade Guards, Lt.-Col. Webster's Brigade.

APPENDIX. 403

The Bat horses to follow the infantry. An officer
and thirty men from Lieut. -Col. Webster's Brigade to
march in the rear of the brigade Bat horses The wheel-
carriages of the army will follow the line of march with
all convenient expedition, under the escort of Lieut. -Col.
Hamilton's regiment and a detachment of one officer and
twenty men from the three battalions of Lieut. -Col.
Webster's Brigade, twenty men from the Brigade of
Guards, and. an officer and twenty men from the Regi-
ment of Bose ; this detachment to be commanded by a
Captain of Col. Webster's Brigade. The respective
corps are to send serviceable men on this service, but not
the best marchers.

Camp at Cassington, 2d Feb., 1781.

After Orders. — Lord Cornwallis desires the Brigade
of Guards will accept his warmest acknowledgments for
the cool and determined bravery which they showed at
the passage of the Catawba when rushing through that
long and difficult ford under a galling fire without return-
ing a shot, gives him a most pleasing prospect of what
may be expected from that distinguished corps.

The spirited behaviour of Lieut. -Col. Tarleton and
the officers and soldiers of the British Legion, at the
attack of a large body of infantry posted behind rails and
in strong houses, does them infinite honor, and it is a
proof that they are determined to preserve the reputa-
tion which they have so deservedly acquired in the course
of this war.

Brigade Orders, 3d Feb., 1781.

Captain Goodricke is appointed to the Light Infantry,
and Ensign Stuart to the 2d Company.

404 APPENDIX.

Orders.— 12 o'clock, 4th Feb., 1*781.

The Butchers of the several corps will assemble at the
six-pounders, in the road, to slaughter cattle immediately.

It is expected in future, when the Brigade of Guards
is ordered to march, that they will assemble to move pre-
cisely within a quarter of an hour's notice.

The officers of this part of the army will not pitch any
tent on this ground.

Camp, Trading Ford, Yadkin River, 4th Feb., It 81.

The regiments will send the Quarter Masters and
Quarter Master Sergeants to receive their proportion
of pork and meal at the Park above the Ferry. A
foraging party, consisting of one officer and sixty men,
with all the Bat horses of the command, with all the
artillery and wagon horses, will parade immediately at
the Artillery Park, where a guide will attend and con-
duct them.

Detail. Officers. Sergeants. Corporals. Privates.

Guards, 1 2 2 40

Reg't De Bose, 1 1 20

Total. 1 3 3 60

Head-quarters, Trading Ford, Yadkin River,

4th Feb., 1781.
Parole, Gosport. Countersign, Godalmin.

After orders, — 8 o'clock at night.
The corps will receive a proportion of flour by sending
to Mr. Brindley, Commissary, at his wagon in Salisbury
road, between the Brigade of Guards and the Regiment
De Bose. Also a small dividend of beer for the officers.
This issue will be made immediately.

APPENDIX. 405

Morning orders — 5th Feb., 1781.
A foraging party, consisting of two Captains, two
Subalterns and two hundred privates to parade at the
guns at 8 o'clock, with the artillery, wagons and Bat
horses of the command. A proper guide will attend.
Every batman and driver will take a ticket with his
master's name in his pocket, and the officers of the dif-
ferent corps will give receipts for the quantity of forage
they receive.

Detail. Captains. Sub's Serg'ts. Corporals. Privates.

Brigade Guards, 2 4 4 120

Keg't de Bose, "2 3 3 80

Total. 2 2 7 7 200

The officers commanding the party will attend General
O'Hara for further orders.

Feb. 5th, 1*81.

The troops will receive a proportion of flour by sending
to the Commissary's wagons, near the General's tent.

The flank companies of the Guards will relieve the Ferry
Guard of one Sergeant, one Corporal and eighteen men.

Head-quarters, Salisbury, 5th Feb., 1781.
It is with great concern that Lord Cornwallis acquaints
the army that he has lately received the most shocking
complaints of the excesses committed by the troops. He
calls in the most serious manner on the officers com-
manding, and Corps to put a stop to this licentious-
ness, which must inevitably bring disgrace and ruin on
his Majesty's service. He is convinced that it is in their
power to prevent it, and has seen so many proofs of their
zeal for the service of their country that he cannot doubt
of their utmost exertions to detect and punish offenders
without which the blood of the brave and deserving sol-

406 APPENDIX.

diers will be shed in vain, and it will not be even in the
power of victory to give success.

Great complaints having been made of negroes strag-
gling from the line of march, plundering and using vio-
lence to the inhabitants, it is Lord Cornwallis' positive
orders that no negro shall be suffered to carry arms on
any pretence, and all officers and other persons who
employ negroes, are desired to acquaint them that the
Provost Marshal has received orders to seize and punish
on the spot any negro following the army who may offend
against this regulation.

Orders — 2 o'clock, Morning, Feb. 6, 1T81.
The troops will be ready to march this morning pre-
cisely at five o'clock, in the following order — observing
the strictest silence in getting off their ground and during
the march.

Line of March.

1st Company 1 Battalion Guards, 2 Battalion Guards,
Commissary's wagons, Hessian Picquets,

Bat horses and women, 2 six-pounders,

The two rear guards of the Brigade Grenadiers,

Guards and prisoners, Light Infantry.

2d Company 1st Battalion Guards,

The regiments will flank the left with one officer and
thirty privates each — their baggage with one corporal
and six each.

The flanking parties will take care to keep sight of the
line of march. The line to march in half platoons and
all or any extraordinaries to be reported to Brigadier
General O'Hara, in the rear of the First Company. The
whole will march into the Salisbury road by the right,
calling in the pickets and parties a quarter of an hour
before the hour of march, and wait till further orders.
The Light Infantry Company will march by double files,

APPENDIX. 407

so as to be able to form to the rear if occasion requires.
The corps will send at a proper time a non-commissioned
officer to the preceding corps to inform themselves
when they move, that the whole may be formed in proper
time and order, without noise.

N. B. — The head of the column to point to Salisbury.
The Bat. horses to parade, without noise, at the guns.

Head-quarters, 6th Feb'y, 1781.

The army to be under arms and ready to march pre-
cisely at 6 o'clock to-morrow morning in the following
order :

Yagers, Hamilton's Corps,

Cavalry, 2 six-pounders,

2 three-pounders, Lieut. Col. Webster's Brigade,

Brigade Guards, Bat horses,

2 six-pounders, Wagons.

Regiment de Bose,

An officer and thirty men of Lieut. Col.. Webster's
Brigade to march with the Bat horses. The officer will
be answerable for any irregularties committed by the Bat
men. A captain and one hundred men of Lieut. Col.
Webster's Brigade ; an officer and fifty men of the Regi-
ment of Bose, and an officer and twelve Dragoons will
march in the rear of the wagons. It is expected that the
Captain will exert himself to keep good order, and pre-
vent plundering. Should any complaint be made of the
wagoners and followers of the army it must necessarily
be imputed to neglect on his part. All officers are most
earnestly requested to seize any militia or followers of the
army who go into houses and commit excesses, and report
them to Head-quarters. As soon as the troops come to
their ground, any officer who looks on with indifference,
and does not do his utmost to prevent the shameful

408 APPENDIX.

marauding which has of late prevailed in the army, will
be considered in a more criminal light than the persons
who commit those scandalous crimes, which must bring
disgrace and ruin on his Majesty's arms.

Head-quarters, 8 o'clock at night, Tth .Feb., 1*181
General orders. — The army will march at half-past six
in the morning.

Feb. 8th, 1181.

The Regiment of Guards will relieve the Provision
Guards of one Sergeant, one Corporal and eighteen men.

As soon as the wagons come up one day's rum will be
issued to the troops at the same time.

Head-quarters, Lindsay's Plantation, 8th Feb., 1781.

Orders. — The army to be under arms and ready to
march at half- past six to-morrow morning, in the follow-
ing order :

Yagers, North Carolinians,

Cavalry, 2 six-pounders,

Half the Pioneers, Brigade of Guards,

2 three-pounders, Bat horses,

Lieut. Col. Webster's Brigade, Half the Pioneers,

2 six-pounders, Wagons,

Regiment of Bose, An officer and twelve Dragoons will
march with the rear guard.

General Orders, 9th Feb., 1781.

Lord Cornwallis having perceived that many soldiers
from different corps are coming into town, and seemingly
for the purpose of getting liquor ; He begs it may be
told to the men that if they commit such irregularities, he
shall not think it necessary to trouble the Commissaries
in providing any more rum for them.

APPENDIX.

409

9th Feb'y, T o'clock, at night.
The troops to receive to-morrow morning at six o'clock
an allowance of Rum, and to be in readiness to march at
seven o'clock.

Head- quarters, Miller's Plantation, 10th Feb., 1181.

The Bat horses to be loaded and the troops under
arms ready to march precisely at half-past six o'clock to-
morrow morning.

Yagers,

Cavalry,

Half the Pioneers,

2 three-Pounders,

Lieut. Col. Webster's Brigade,

2 six-Pounders,

Regiment of Bose,

N. Carolina Volunteers,
2 six Pounders,
Regiment Guards,
Bat. horses,
Half the Pioneers,
Wagons,

An Officer and 12 Dragoons will
march with the Rear Guard.

The Quarter-Master Sergeant of each Corps is to
march with the Bat horses. Mr. Ryder Buie is ap-
pointed Inspector of Refugees for the Province of North
Carolina.

After Orders, 10th Feb., 1181.

The different Corps will send to the Commissary at
five o'clock to-morrow morning to receive a proportion
of meal.

Head-quarters, 10th Feb., 1181.

The Bat horses to be loaded and the troops under arms
ready to march precisely at six o'clock to-morrow morning,
in the following order :

Yagers, N. Carolina Volunteers,

Cavalry, 2 six-Pounders,

Half the Pioneers, Lieut. Col. Webster's Brigade,

2 three-Pounders, Bat horses,

Brigade of Guards, Half the Pioneers,

2 six-Pounders, Wagons,

Regiment of Bose, An Officer and 12 Dragoons will
march with the Rear Guard.

410 APPENDIX.

Head-quarters, 12th Feb., 1181.
The Bat horses to be loaded and the troops under arms
ready to march at half-past five o'clock to-morrow
morning.

Head-quarters, 13th Feb., 1781.

The Bat horses to be loaded and the troops under
arms ready to march at half-past five o'clock to-morrow
morning, in the following order :

2 three-Pounders, Lieut. Col. "Webster's Brigade,

Brigade Guards, Bat horses.

2 six-Pounders,

Brigade Orders, 8 o'clock at night, 14th Feb., 1781.

It having been signified to Brigadier-Gen. O'Hara,
that Lord Cornwallis means to make a forward move in
the morning of twenty-five miles, in a rapid manner, and
totally to effect the purposes of every late exertion it is
wished Commanding Officers of Battalions will signify
the same to their respective Corps, in order to ascertain
at four o'clock to-morrow morning what men will be
able to undertake the same, and what may be left behind.

After Orders, 9 o'clock at night.

The army will march precisely at four o'clock in the
morning. The Officers are expected to take with them
no more baggage but their canteens, and the men will
leave their packs behind them under the charge of such
men or any that may not be able to march. The returns
called for in Brigade Orders will be ready at four o'clock
in the morning, taking care not to disturb the men in
their rest.

APPENDIX. 411

Head-quarters, Wiley's House, 15th Feb., 1*781.
The troops to be under arms and ready to march pre-
cisely at half-past five o'clock to-morrow morning, in the
following order :

Regiment De Bose, 2 three-Pounders,

Lieut. Col. Webster's Brigade. Brigade of Guards,

2 six-Pounders,

Orders, 16th Feb., 1181.
A Sergeant and 18 men from those who have been
resting in camp, to parade immediately at the guns with
the Bat horses of the Brigade to forage. A guide and
further directions will be given by Major England.

Brigade Orders, 16th Feb., 1181.
The duty of the Camp to be taken this day and to-mor-
row by the men who stopped behind the last march and
rested. To-morrow being a halting day, it is desired the
men may employ it in washing and cleaning themselves.

After Orders.
States of Companies with all alterations since last re-
turn to be given in to the Adjutants immediately, that
they may be able to send them when collected to the
Majors of Brigades by five o'clock this evening. The
Mill Guard to parade at daybreak in the morning at the
Artillery Park. The foraging parties of the different
Corps and departments of the army to parade at seven
o'clock to-morrow morning, with an escort of a subaltern
and 20 men from each Battalion. The Guards give a
Quarter-Master instead of a Subaltern. Lieut. Colonel
"Webster's Brigade give a Captain for this party.

412

APPENDIX.

Guard at Thomas'

Mills.

Capt. £

ierg'ts.

Lieut's.

Privates.

Brigade Guards,

1

1

2

40

(Jol. Webster's,

"

2

2

40

Brigade De Bose,

1

1

20

Henry's Mills,

1

3

5

100

N. C. Volunteers,

1

1

20

Ld. Cornwallis' Guard,

1

13

Reg't Bose, Maj.

Gen.

Leslie's,

1

8

Webster's Brigade

i, Provision Guard,

1

1

9

Cattle Guard,

1

6

Provision Guard,

1

1

21

Head-quarters, Dobbin's house, nth Feb., 1181.

Lord Cornwallis is very sorry to be again obliged to
call the attention of the Officers of the Army to the re-
peated orders against plundering. He desires that the
Orders given on the 28th Jan., 4th Feb., and the 16th
Feb. may be read at the head of each Troop and
Company on each of the three first halting days, and he
assures the Officers that if their duty to their King and
Country and their feelings for humanity are not sufficient
to enforce their obedience to them, he must however re-
luctant make use of such power as the military laws have
placed in his hands.

1st extract from Orders to be read, 28th Jan., " As the
object of our march is to support and assist those Royal-
ists in N. Carolina," &c, &c.

2d extract, 4th Feb., Salisbury, " It is with great con-
cern Lord Cornwallis acquaints the Army," &c.

3d extract, 6th Feb., "Any Officer who looks on with
indifference, and does not do his utmost to prevent the
shameful," &c, &c.

APPENDIX. 413

Detail of Duties :

S. S. c. D. P.

Lord Comwallis' Guard, "11" 12 Br. G.

Gen. Leslie's and Cattle, " " 2 12R.DeB.

Provision Guard,
Provost Guard,

1

1

"

2

1

1

1

2

Total, 3 6 - 54

To be relieved when the troops come up in case of a
further halt at 12 o'clock to-morrow.

After Orders.

The Bat horses to be loaded and the Troops under
arms, ready to march at half-past five o'clock to-morrow
morning, in the following order :

Calvary, Two Six-Pounders,

Yagers, Brigade of Guards,

Pioneers, Bat horses,

Two Three-Pounders, Wagons.

Lieut. Col. Webster's Brigade, Bear Guards.

Brigade Orders, 2 o'clock, 18th Feb., 1181.

The Pickets of the Brigade to consist of two Sergeants,
two Corporals, and twenty-four privates from each Bat-
talion, to be posted in the following order : Two Sergeants
and twenty-four privates in the centre of the Brigade, in
the Road in front of the Guns ; 1 Sergeant and 12 in front
of the Outward flanks of each Battalion, to communicate
with the Centre Picket from the Right to the Picket of
the 23d Right, Posted in the Great Hillsboro' Road, on
the Left.

General Orders.

A foraging party consisting of 1 Sergeant, 1 Corporal
and 18 privates, to parade immediately in the Great
Hillsboro' Road, on the left of the Brigade of Guards.
The Bat horses, &c, will attend. The Officers will take
care that the Bat men observe in the strictest manner
General Orders

414 APPENDIX.

After General Orders. — The Army will march in the
morning at half past five o'clock. The Brigade of
Guards lead the column. Bat men follow Lieut. Col.
Webster's Brigade.

Armstrong's Plantation, 19th Feb., 1181.
Parole. Countersign.

All passes to be taken from the people going out at
the Posts or Pickets of the Army, and sent from thence
in the morning to Head-quarters. The Brigade of Guards
will relieve Lord Cornwallis' Guard of 1 Sergeant, 1 Cor-
poral and 12 privates, to-morrow as soon as the Troops
come to their ground.

Brigade Orders.
A Court of Enquiry consisting of Three Field Officers,
to assemble at the President's tent at half-past five o'clock
this evening, to enquire into such matters as shall be laid
before it. Lieut. Col. Norton, President; Lieut. Col.
Stewart, Lieut. Col. Pennington, members.

Head-quarters, Armstrong's, 19th Feb., 1781-
Regulation concerning horses and negroes repeated.

For the Calvary. Horses. Negroes.

Lieut. Colonel, 10 4

Captain, 7 2

Subaltern, 5 2

Sergeant, 3 4

Quarter-Master, 2 4

Infantry.

Field-Officers, (besides Bat horses,) 3 2

Captains, 3 1

Subalterns, eacb, 2 1

Quarter-Master Sergeant and Sergeant-Major, 1 1

The Quarter-Master of each regiment may have eight
negroes to assist him in receiving provisions and other

APPENDIX. 415

regular business. Each negro is to have a ticket with
his master's name, signed by the Commanding Officer of
the Corps or the head of the department to which he
belongs. Officers who have more than one negro will
number each ticket. The Deputy Provost has received
orders to seize and detain any negro who has not a ticket
agreeable to the above Order. All servants and Bat
men are to have tickets for the horses they ride or had
signed as before mentioned.

Brigade Memorandum. — No officer from the British
Legion having appeared at the Court of Enquiry to give
Evidence, the Officers who composed the same will look
upon themselves as adjourned till the Troops come to
their ground to-morrow.

After Orders, 8 o'clock at night.
The Army will march at half-past six o'clock to-mor-
row morning. The Column will be led by Lieut. Col.
Webster's Brigade. The Brigade of Guards gives the
Rear-Guard and forms the same.

Brigade Orders.
The 2d Company, 1st Battalion, form the Rear-
Guard.

Head-quarters, Hillsboro', 20th Feb., 1T81.
Countersign.
The different corps will send their Quarter Masters
to Sharp Grinney's for half hides, in the following pro-
portion :

Guards, . . . . 10 hides.

23d,

4

33d,

4

Ust,

4

Regiment De Bose,

5

North Carolina Volunteers,

5

416 APPENDIX.

The Brigade of Guards furnish the town guard to-
morrow, consisting of one Captain, three Sergeants, four
Corporals, one drummer and fifty privates. One Corporal
and six privates of which are to be detached to the Mill
Guard. The Quarter Master from the Brigade, with all
his blacks, will attend at 12 o'clock every day, to bury
the offal at the cattle-pen.

Brigade orders. — The Picket to consist of one Lieu-
tenant, four Sergeants, four Corporals, one drummer,
sixty privates, to march precisely at 4 o'clock this after-
noon. The Adjutant in waiting will show the officer the
post.

Camp near Hillsboro', 21st Feb., 1781.

Brigade Morning orders. — As the army will halt on
this ground for some days, it is recommended to the
commanding officers to see this opportunity is employed
in thoroughly repairing the men's clothing, necessaries
and appointments, as well as the completing of their shoes.

Memorandum. — An inspection of ammunition, flints,
&c, to be made, and a return to be given in.

Morning general orders. — The army will forage this
morning at 10 o'clock. It is to be understood when the
Infantry forage on a halt, or in a first position, that they
bring three days forage with them.

Brigade orders. — One officer and twenty men, with all
the battalion horses of the brigade to be at the artillery
park at 10 o'clock.

All officers and men of the Guards and Light Infantry
Companies on duty to be relieved, and the men get them-
selves clean and ready to march by 12 o'clock this day,
in order to attend the ceremony of hoisting the King's
standard at Hillsborough, at one o'clock. Two additional
officers will be posted to those companies for this day.

APPENDIX. 417

Captains Richardson and Stuart will join the Grena-
dier Company ; Captain Maitlancl the Light Infantry.
The Grenadier and Light Infantry Companies will meet
at the forks of the road leading to Taylor's Ferry and
Hillsborough, at half-past 12 o'clock.

Head- quarters, (Morning orders,) Hillsboro',

21st Feb., mi.

The commanding officer of artillery will erect the
Royal Standard at 10 o'clock to-day, and fire twenty-one
guns.

General after orders, 12 o'clock, noon.

The orders respecting the erecting the Royal Standard
at 12 o'clock this day, is countermanded till to-morrow,
when the same troops will hold themselves in readiness to
attend at the same hour as ordered this day.

Head- quarters, Hillsboro', 21st Feb., 1181.
Parole. Countersign.

All inhabitants of the country who are conducted by
Mr. James Minnis or persons deputed by him, are to
be permitted to pass the outposts.

Detail.

Cap.

Serg.

Lt.

Cor.

D.

Priv

Lord Gornwallis' Guard,

«

"

1

1

"

12

Gen. Leslie's,

"

"

"

1

"

6

Provision Guard,

»

«

«

1

"

3

Kellow's Mills,

"

1

1

1

"

20!

Lieut.Col.

Provost,

w

((

1

1

tt

9/

Webster's

Cattle Guard,

"

1

1

«

6]

Brigade.

Town Guard,

1

1

4

«

«

40 j

' Brigade
de Bose.

Brigade orders. — All the collar makers of the brigade
to be sent to Lieutenant McLeod, commanding the
Royal Artillery, at 1 o'clock, to-morrow morning, with
two smiths. The tanners will attend Lieutenant Colonel
Hamilton at the same hour, for further directions.

418 APPENDIX.

Hillsboro', 22d Feb., 1181.
The Court of Enquiry ordered to sit some days past,
will assemble at the President's tent at 5 o'clock this
evening.

Head-quarters, Hillsboro', 22d Feb., 1781.
Parole. Countersign.

It is with great concern that Lord Cornwallis hears
every day reports of the soldiers being taken by the
enemy, in consequence of their straggling out of camp in
search of whiskey. He strictly enjoins all officers and
non-commissioned officers commanding the out-posts and
pickets of the army to do their utmost to prevent any
soldier from passing them

The commanding officers of corps are requested to pay
their utmost attention to keeping their men in camp.
Lord Cornwallis trusts that there is so much honor and
noble spirit in the soldiers, that at a time when Great
Britian has so many enemies and his country has so much
occasion for his services, he will render himself unservice-
able to it during the whole war, and of passing some
years in a loathsome prison, subject to the bitter insults
of the Rebels, for the chance of a momentary gratification
of his appetite.

Detail of duties. Cap.

Kellows' Mill, •'

Maj. Gen. Leslie's, "

Provision wagons, "

Lord Cornwallis, "

Provost, "

Cattle, "

Town Guard, 1

Brigade orders. — Ensign Stuart for the mill duty,

and to be allowed an Overstance in the Roster of Pickets.

The tents to be struck, and the officers' baggage loaded

Ser.

Lt.

Cor.

I).

Priv.

1

1

1

'<

20 ) Brigade of
6 j Guards.

"

"

1

«

"

1

1

«

9 )

"

1

1

'•

12:Regiuient De

"

1

1

«

9[Bose, and N.
6)Ca. Vol.

•'

"

1

(C

1

1

1

«

40 Lt. Col Web's Br

APPENDIX. 419

ready to move (to change their ground) at 10 o'clock,
to-morrow morning, at which time the men will be under
arms.

Brigade orders, 23d Feb., 1181.

A foraging party, consisting of one Captain and twenty
men to parade at the guns at ten o'clock, with all the
Bat horses of the brigade.

It having appeared before the Court of Enquiry of the
Brigade that Edward Norman, soldier in the 3d Com-
pany, 2d Battalion, confined on suspicion of desertion, is
innocent of the charge. He is therefore ordered to be
released from confinement.

Head-quarters, Hillsboro', 23d Feb., 1T81.
Parole. Countersign.

Detail. C. S. L. C. D. Pr.
Town Guard, 1 2 1 4 " 40 }» Brigade Guards.

Lord Cornwallis', 1 1 " 12 ^

Provision wagons, 11" 9 I Lt. Col. Webster's Brigade.

Provost Guard, 11" 9 J

Kellow's Mills,
Maj. Gen. Leslie's,
Cattle Guard,

3 3 *

111'

1 «

1 '

< 30

' 20 1

' 'I

1 Reg't De Bose,
Y and
N. Ca. Volunteers.

1 1 3 " 32

Quarter Master for to-morrow. Brigade of Guards.
Orderly Sergeant for General Leslie's Regiment. De
Bose and North Carolina Volunteers.

Brigade orders. — Corporal Leiman, with three of the
best carpenters, and all the collar and harness makers of
the brigade to be at Lieutenant McLeod's tent to-morrow
morning by daybreak.

K B. — The whole of the smiths and tanners of the
brigade at present employed, to be excused duty (though
expected to conform to Camp hours in the evening) till
further orders.

420 APPENDIX.

Brigade Morning order, (24,) 26th Feb., 1181.

The Pickets of the Brigade will be in future of the fol-
lowing strength :

One officer,

Ser.

Cor.

Drum.

Privates.

First Battalion,

2

3

1

25

Second Battalion,

2

3

1

25

Light Infantry,

1

2

12

Grenadiers,

1

2

12

Total, one officer. 6 10 2 14

This Picket will mount to-day at 12 o'clock, but in
future will be relieved one hour before day -break in the
morning ; the old Picket will remain with the new one
till 8 o'clock in the morning, when they will return to
camp. The ground to be occupied by the Picket as
pointed out by General O'Hara yesterday.

Head-quarters, Hillsboro', (24,) 26th Feb., 1181.
Parole, Canterbury. Countersign, Rutland.

Detail. Cap. S. L. C. P.

Lord Cornwallis' Guard, ] 1 12

Provision wagon guard, 11 9

Cattle guard, 1 6

2 3 27

Kellow's Mill, 1 1 1 20

Provost guard, 11 9 j- Lt. Col. Webster's Brig.

Maj. Gen. Leslie's, 1 6 J

1 2 3 35
Town guard, 1 1 1 1 40 [- Reg. De Bose, N. C. V.

Quarter Master for to-morrow, Lieut. Col. Webster's
Brigade. Orderly Sergeant at Major General Leslie's
Brigade of Guards.

APPENDIX. 421

General after orders, (24,) 26th Feb., 1181.

The battalion horses to be loaded and the troops under
arms, ready to march, precisely at 4 o'clock this after-
noon.

A working party, consisting of one Captain, two Sub-
alterns, six Sergeants, six Corporals, three Drummers,
one hundred privates, to assemble at the town guard, in
Hillsboro', to-morrow morning, at T o'clock.

Cap. Sub. Serg. Cor. D. Priv.

Guards, 1 2 2 1 35

Lieutenant Col. Webster's, 1 2 1 1 40

Reg. De Bose and N. C. Vol., 1 2 2 1 25

Total. 12 6 5 3 100

The men to march from their respective camps with
arms. (This was for the removal over the Eno.)

Morning Orders, 25th Feb'y, IT 81.
A foraging party consisting of two sergeants; two cor-
porals and twenty-four privates, under the command of
Quarter-master Furnival, will parade in the open field in
front of the Brigade at nine o'clock. Officers are desired
to send horses enough ; to bring forage enough for two
or three days.

" Head-Quarters, Wiley's Plantation, 25th Feb'y, 1T81.
Parole. Countersign.

Detail. Capt. Sub. Serg. Corpl. Private.

Lord Cornwallis' Guard, "
Provision Wagons, "

Major-General Leslie's, "

1
1

1

1
1

1

12
9 guards.
6

3

2

3

2
1

27

70 Lt. Col. Webster,
21 Reg't., de Bose,
6 N.Carolina Vol.

Town Guard, 1

Provost Guard, "

Cattle Guard, "

2 3 27

Quarter-Master, to-morrow Regiment of Bose.

28

422 APPENDIX.

After Orders. — The Bat horses to be loaded, and
the troops under arms ready to march at half past five
o'clock to-morrow morning in the following order.

Advanced Guard consisting of the Cavalry, Light
Infantry Guards and Yagers, under command of Lieu-
tenant Col. Tarleton.

2 three-pounders, Bat horses,

Brigade of Guards, 2 six-pounders,

2 six-pounders, Lieut. Col. "Webster's Brigade,

Regiment DeBose, A detachment of Cavalry, j

N. Carolina Volunteers,

" On the 26th," Tarleton says, "the royal army marched
by the left, passed through Hillsboro' and pointed their
course towards the Haw."

Camp near the Haw River, 27th Feb'y, 1781.

Countersign, Portland.

The army will be under arms and ready to march
precisely at ten o'clock this morning.

Brigade Orders. — It is "expected that in future no
Bat men or servants presume to quit the camp for the
purpose (or under pretence) of foraging but by general
order or on application to the commanding officer of the
Brigade.

"Camp near the Haw River, 28th Feb'y, 1781.

The army will forage this morning at 8 o'clock. This
morning, the whole to assemble at the guns.

The regiments will send the usual proportion of men
and officers.

APPENDIX. 423

"Head Quarters, Freeland's, 28th Feb'y, 1181."

Parole Vienna, C. Sign, Prague.

Detail Sergt. Corpl. Private.
Regiment i Lord Cornwallis' Guard, 1 1 12

of Guards. J Cattle, "16

General Hospital, "1 3

1 3 21

Lieu't Col. Webster, Provost Guard, 1 2 21

Regiment of Bose, Maj. Gen. Leslie's, "16

And N. Carolina Volunteer's Provision Wagons, "16

Quarter Master for the day. Brigade of Guards
Orderly Sert. for Geu. Leslie, Lieu't Col. Webster's
Brigade.

Memorandum. — A watch found by the Regiment of
Bose, the owner may have it from the Adjutant of that
Regiment on proving his property.

"Head Quarters, Freeland's Plantation, 28th Feb'y, 1181.

After Orders. — The Bat horses to be loaded and
the Troops under arms ready to march precisely at six
o'clock, to-morrow morning in the following order.

Cavalry, I Regiment De Bose,

Yagers, and [Advanced Royal N. Carolina Volunteers,

Light Infantry / Guard. Two six-pounders,

Guards. ] Lieut. Col. Webster's Brigade,

Two three-pounders, Bat horses and wagons of the army.
Brigade of Guards,
Two six-Pounders,

A Captain, three subalterns and one hundred and fifty
men from Lieutenant-Colonel Webster's Brigade, with a
detachment of cavalry, will march in the rear of the
wagons.

424 APPENDIX.

March 1st, 1781.
Brigade Orders. — A foraging party consisting of one
officer ; two sergeants ; two corporals ; one drummer and
twenty-four privates, to assemble at the guns, as soon as
the Bat horses arrive.

"Camp, Smith's Plantation, 1st March, 1781.
Parole, Annapolis. Countersign, Hague.

The Regiments relieve their duties as per last detail.

Brigade Orders. — It is Brigadier-General O'Hara's
orders, that the officers commanding companies, cause an
immediate inspection of the articles of clothing at present
in possession of the women in their companies and an exact
account taken thereof by the pay Sergeants, after which
their necessaries are to be examined at proper opportu-
nities and every article found in addition thereto, burned
at the head of the company ; except such as have been
fairly purchased on application to the commanding officers
and regularly added to their former list by the Sergeants
as above.

The officers are likewise ordered to make these examina-
tions at such times and in such a manner as to prevent the
women (supposed to be the source of the most infamous
plundering) from evading the purport of this order.

N. B. — This inspection, to be made at four o'clock,
this day.

A woman having been robbed of a watch, a black silk
handkerchief, a gallon of peach brandy, and one shirt,
and as by the description by a Soldier of the Guards, the
camp and every man's kit — is to be immediately searched
for, the same by the officers of Brigade.

APPENDIX. 425

"Brigade Morning Orders, 2d March, 1^81."

A foraging party consisting of one Officer, two Ser-
geants, two Corporals and twenty-four Privates to
assemble at the guns this morning at eight o'clock with
the Bat horses.

Notwithstanding every order, every entreaty that Lord
Cornwallis has given to the army to prevent the shame-
ful practice of plundering and distressing the country and
those orders backed by every effort that can have been
made by Brigadier General O'Hara, he is shocked to
find this evil still prevails, and ashamed to observe that
the frequent complaints he receives from Head-quarters of
the irregularity of the Guards, particularly affects the credit
of this corps. He therefore, calls upon the officers, non
commissioned officers, and those men who are yet possessed
of the feelings of humanity and actuated by the best prin-
ciples of soldiers, the love of their Country, the good of
the Service, and the honor of their own corps, to assist
with the same indefatigable diligence, the General him-
self is determined to persevere in — in order to detect
and punish all men and women so offending, with the
utmost severity and example.

The General is convinced the exertions of the officers
alone will not so immediately bring about this reformation
as requisite, but he trusts he may have the greatest depend-
ence on the assistance of the non-commissioned officers and
every good soldier, many of whom he knows are above these
practices. The General has wished not to trouble the
men with too many frequent Roll-calls, but he is sorry
to find his intentions are frustrated by their irregularity,
and is therefore, obliged to order the most frequent Roll-
calls, and that all men absent therefrom shall be deemed
disobedient of orders, tried and punished before the com-

426 APPENDIX.

pan j on the spot. Women to attend all Roll-calls in the
rear of the companies, (except such as are in the service of
officers,) any and every one found absent to be imme-
diately whipped and drummed out of the brigade.

The Commandants are desired to proceed to the trial
of those men offending yesterday and to put the sentence
of the Court Martial in execution immediately in the pres-
ence of all the officers.

N". B. — The women to attend all punishments.

Head-quarters, Smith's Plantation, 2d March, 1Y81
Parole, Stockholm. Countersign, Bergen.

Detail, Serg't. Corp. Privates.

•g j Lord Cornwallis' Guard, 1 1 ]2

J ] Cattle, do. 1 6

« \ Dr. Grant's, do. 1 3

« I Total, 1 3 21

Orderly Sergeant at Gen. Leslie's. Guards to relieve
at three o'clock.

After Orders. — All passes granted to persons going
out of Camp, are to be taken from them at the out-posts
and returned to Head-quarters.

A working party with arms, consisting of one Captain,
one Subaltern and Fifty rank and file, with the pioneers of
the different corps to parade at six o'clock to-morrow
morning in front of the Brigade of Guards.

Detail for the Working Party.

Captain. Subalt'n. Serg't. Rank & File.
Brigade of Guards, 1 " 1 25

Colonel Webster's, 1 1 25

1 1 2 50

APPENDIX. 427

"Brigade After Orders. — The Pickets of the brigade
to be relieved one hour before daybreak to-morrow morn-
ing. The old Picket to remain with the new till sunrise.

Head-quarters, Smith's Plantation, 3d March, 1781.
Parole, Gibralter. Countersign, Lisbon.

Detail, Brigade Guards. Sergeants. Corporals. Privates.
Lord Cornwallis' Guard, 1 1 12

Provision "Wagons, "16

Hospital do. "13

1 3 21

Lieut. Col. "Webster's Provost Guard, 1 1 21

N. C. Volunteers, Gen. Leslie's, 1 6

Quarter-Master, Lieut. Colonel Webster's Brigade, and
Orderly Sergeant to Gen. Leslie's. The Cattle Guard to
be taken off.

Brigade Order. — A Sergeant, Corporal and 12 privates
to parade immediately, with 1 Subaltern, 1 Sergeant, 1
Corporal and 18 privates of Lieut. Colonel Webster's
Brigade, at the Wagons, as an escort.

Brigade Morning Orders, 4th March, 1781.
The Picket to be relieved as before ordered ; the of-
ficers will continue with the whole of the Pickets till 8
o'clock in the morning, when they will all return to
Camp, leaving a Sergeant and 18 privates on each
Picket. The Officers of the Pickets for the day will
visit them in the course thereof, and rejoin with the rest
of them at half-past four in the afternoon ; or in case of
any alarm or firing, immediately march to their post, for
which purpose the men will be ready accoutred, and their
arms piled separate from the Battalions, as an Inlying
Picket.

428 APPENDIX.

Head-quarters, Smith's Plantation, 4th March, 1181.
Parole, Manheim. Countersign, Torbay.

Detail for the Brigade of Guards the same as yester-
day. Orderly Sergeant for Maj. General Leslie's Brigade
of Guards.

Memorandum. — When the Corps send to the Cattle-
pen for their meat, it is requested that a Quarter-Master
or Quarter-Master Sergeant attend with them.

Quarter-Master for to-morrow North Carolians, Or-
derly Sergeant for Maj. Gen. Leslie, Lieut. Colonel Web-
ster's Brigade.

Orders P^epeated, dated Head-quarters, Charlotte Town,

5th Oct., 1180.
The officers and soldiers of this army have given such
repeated proofs of their zeal and attachment to the inter-
ests of their King and Country, that Lord Cornwallis
can have no doubt of their paying the most exact atten-
tion to them in every instance by which they can be
materially affected. He desires the officers and soldiers
to reflect that the great object of his Majesty's force in
this Country is to protect and secure his Majesty's faith-
ful and loyal subjects, and to encourage and assist them
in arming and opposing the Tyranny and oppression of
the Rebels. His Lordship therefore recommends it to
them in the strongest manner to treat with kindness all
those who have sought protection in the British army, and
to believe that although their ignorance and want of skill
in military affairs may at present render their appearance
awkward in a veteran and experienced army, when they
are properly armed, appointed and instructed, they will
show the same ardor and courage in the cause of Great
Britain as their countrymen who repaired to the Royal
standard in the Northern Colonies.

APPENDIX. 429

T Head-quarter's, Smith's House, 5th March, 1181.
Parole. Countersign.

Detail. Serg't. Corporal. Private.

Brigade 1 Lord Cornwallis' Guard, 1 1 12

Guards. J Hospital, do. "13

15
6

Lt.-Col. "] Major-General Leslie's, " 1

Webster's > Provision Wagons, "16

Brigade. J Cattle Guard, "16

" 3 18

Bose's Brigade and Provost Guard, 1 1 18

Quarter-Master for to-morrow, Brigade Guards and
Orderly Sergeant for Major-General Leslie.

N. B. Ten days salt to be issued to the troops imme-
diately.

General After Orders, 5th March.

The army will be in readiness to march to-morrow
morning, at half past live o'clock.

Order of march :

Cavalry, ~) Ad. Guard. Regiment De Bose,

Yagers, I Commanded by Two Six-Pounders,

Ligbt Infantry Guards. ) Lt.-Col. Tarleton. Brigade Guards,
Two Three-Pounders, Bat Horses,

Lt.-Col. Webster's Brigade, Wagons,

Two Six-Pounders, Lt.-Col. Hamilton's Corps, an

Officer and 12 Dragoons.

The detachment under the command of Captain Cham-
pigney to join their respective regiments.

The militia under the command of Col. Field to flank
the bat horses. That under the command of Col. Bryan
to flank the wagons.

A detachment of an officer and twenty men from each
of the Regiments of Lieut. -Col. Webster's Brigade,
twenty men from the Brigade of Guards, and an officer

430 APPENDIX.

and twenty men from the Regiment of Bose under the
command of a Captain of Lieut. -Col. Webster's Brigade
to march with Lieut. -Col. Hamilton's Regiment, in the
rear of the wagons. The men for this detachment of the
worst marchers.

Head-quarters, Alton's, 6th March, 1781.

Brigade Orders. — The pickets of the brigade to con-
sist of one officer and fifty privates, to be posted agree-
able to the directions of the Commander's (General
Orders.)

The bat horses to be loaded and the troops to be
under arms ready to march at seven o'clock, to-morrow
morning.

Brigade Orders. — As the army is ordered to be ready
to march at seven o'clock to-morrow morning, the pick-
ets will not be doubled agreeable to the standing orders
of the brigade, but the whole will be accoutred a quar-
ter of an hour before daybreak.

Brigade Orders, 7th .March, 1781.
A foraging party consisting of one officer and thirty
privates with the Bat horses of the brigade to parade
at the guns immediately.

Head-quarters, 7th March, 1781.
Countersign, Milford.

Detail for this day, Serg't. Corp'l. Private.

ILord Gornwallis's Guard, 1 1 12

Cattle, "16

General Hospital, "1 3

Total, 1 3 21

Quarter-Master, Brigade and Orderly Sergeant to Gen.
Leslie.

Detail for to-morrow the same as for this day.

APPENDIX. 431

Brigade, Morning Orders, 8th March, 1181.
The officer with half the pickets to be called into camp
at eight o'clock this morning, (and return to their posts
agreeable to former orders,) every other sentry will be
taken off during the 'interval of time, taking care to have
all such posted as command roads or approaches to the
camp.

Head-quarters, 8th March, 1181.
The army will march at half past nine o'clock this
morning.

Order of march :

Hamilton's Corps. Regiment of Bose,

Bat Horses. Brigade of Guards,

Wagons, Two Three-Pounders,

Two Six-Pounders, Legion.

Lt.-Col. Webster's Brigade, Light Infantry Guards,

Two Six-Pounders, Yagers.

Head-quarters, Duffield's, 8th March, 1181.
Countersign.
The bat horses to be loaded and the troops under
arms ready to march at seven o'clock to-morrow morning;
in the following order :

Yagers, Two Six-Pounders,

Two Three-Pounders, Regiment of Bose,

Brigade of Guards, North Carolinians,

Lt.-Col. Webster's Brigade, Two Six-Pounders,

Bat Horses and Wagons.

One battalion of Lieut. -Col. Webster's Brigade with
an officer and twenty dragoons, will march in the rear of
the wagons.

The light infantry of the Guards will send for their
flour to the Commissaries at five o'clock in the morning ;
the brigade of Guards at half past five.

432 APPENDIX.

Brigade Orders, 9th March, 1781.
A foraging party of one officer and thirty privates,
with all the Bat horses of the brigade, to parade at
the guns immediately.

Head-quarters, GorrelPs Plantation, 9th March, 1*781.
Countersign.
Brigade, Morning Orders, 10th March, IT 81.
A foraging party of one officer and thirty privates,
with all the Bat horses of the brigade to parade at
the guns at eight o'clock this morning. Six days salt to
be issued to the troops immediately.

Head-quarters, GorrelPs Plantation, 11th March, IT 81.
Countersign.

Guards, j Lord Co ™wallis' Guard,
J Cattle,

Serg't.
1

Corp'l.
1
1

Private.
12
6

Total,

1

2

18

Col. Webster's 1 Provost Guard,
Regiment. J Hospital,

Total,

1

1

2
1

3

20
6

26

Regiment 1 Provision Wagons,
De Bose. J General Leslie's,

"

1
1

6

6

Total, " 2 12

General After Orders, 10 o'clock, 10th March, 1181.

A Captain and thirty privates will parade immediately
from the Brigade of Guards and march to reinforce a
Subaltern and twenty privates from the Regiment of De
Bose at the mill. The officer will receive a guide from
Head-quarters.

APPENDIX. 433

Head-quarters, Gorrel's plantation, 10th March, 1*781,

After Orders. — The Bat horses to be loaded and the
troops under arms ready to march at half past 5 o'clock,
to-morrow morning in the following order.

Cavalry, \ Advanced Guard, Regiment De Bose,

Yagers, ( under Lt.-Col. North Carolinians.

Light Infan. Guards, C Tarleton. Two Six-Pounders,

Two Three-Pounders. / Brigade of Guards.

Lt.-Col. Webster's Brigade, Bat Horses and Wagons.
Two Six-Pounder's,

A battalion of the Brigade of Guards with an officer
and twelve dragoons, will march in the rear of the
wagons.

The militia will flank the Bat horses and wagons as
usual.

Brigade Orders. — The first battalion guards will form
the rear guard

Head-quarters, Dillon's Mill, 11th March, 1*181.
Parole. Countersign.

Detail as usual.

Morning Orders, half past 7 o'clock, 12 March, 1181.

A foraging party to parade at the barn opposite
Head-quarters, at 8 o'clock this morning ; all the Bat
Horses of the army will assemble, and the covering party
for the service.

Officers, Serjt. Corpl. Private.
Proportion for the Guards, 3 6 6 110

434 APPENDIX.

Head-quarters, McGuestion's, (McCuise,) 12th March,
1781.
Parole, Newfoundland. Countersign, Bedford.

Brigade Guards. (Detail.) Sub. Serjt. Corpl. Private.

Lord Cornwallis' Guard, 1 1 12

Major.-General Leslie's, 1 6

Provision Wagons, 1 3

Total,
Lieut. -Col. Webster's Brigade.
Provision Wagons,
Cattle Guard,

1

3

1
1

2L

6
6

Mill Guard,

1

1

2

30

1 1 4 42

Begt. of DeBose, and N. C. Begiment.
Provost Guard, 1118

Orderley Serjeant for Major-Gen. Leslie, Lieut.-Col.
Webster's Brigade.

All absent men to be reported as soon as possible to
the Deputy Adjutant-General. The officers of pickets
are desired to be very alert and particularly attentive
to people that pass their party ; no one must be suffered
to pass but by authority from Head-quarters. "Women
particularly are to be attended to.

Brigade Orders. — Brigadier- Gen. O'Hara, is pleased
to dispense with the women's attending punishment in
future.

After Orders, 12th March, 1781.

The Bat horses to be loaded and the troops ready to
march at half past 5 o'clock to-morrow morning.

Order of March.

An Officer and 12 Dragoons, Brigade of Guards,

Two six-pounders, Two three-pounders,

Begiment of Bose, Lieut.-Col. Webster's Brigade.

Bat Horses and Wagon?, Cavalry
North Carolina Begiment,
Two six-pounders,

Cavalry ■)

_ . , _ „, Under Lieutenant-

Light Infy, f

* J Col. Tarleton.

leagers, J

APPENDIX. 435

Head-quarters, 13th, March, 1T81.
Parole. Countersign.

Brigade of Guards give Gen. Leslie's Guard and
Orderly Sergeant.

A party consisting of one officer and fifty privates from
the Brigade of Guards to parade immediately and march
to Mendenhall's mills, a guide will attend from Head-
Quarters.

Morning Orders, 14th March, IT 81. *

The party at Mendenhall's mill to be relieved at 12
o'clock this day — a Serjeant and twelve of which relief
will be sent immediately as an escort to the wagons to this
mill, where they will remain and be joined by the other
part of the guard. The Serjeant of this escort will in-
form himself where the wagons are.

A foraging party consisting of an officer and the same
number of men as yesterday with all the Bat horses
to parade at the church at 8 o'clock this morning.

Brigade Orders. — Officers for the above duty C. Hor-
neck, for the mill duty this day at 12 o'cloek. Ensign
Stuart for Picket to-morrow morning, Cap. S wanton.

Head-quarters, 14th March, 1181.
Parole, Kingsbriclge. Countersign, Aniboy.
Brigade of Guards will relieve Lord Cornwallis' Guard
1 Serjeant, 1 Corporal, 12 Privates.

The Quarter Masters of the day will in future attend
the delivery of provisions to the different Corps, and see
that each Corps is properly and regularly served in due
proportion, and report all deficiencies to Head- quarters,
Quarter Master for the day, Brigade of Guards.

General after orders, 14th March, 1181.
The army to be under arms, and the Bat horses loaded

436 APPENDIX.

ready to march precisely at half past five o'clock to-morrow
morning, in two columns, in the following order.
Left Column.

Yager's Ordinance Guard, Guns as usual.

Lt. Infantry Guards, commanded by Right column.
Cavalry. Lieut. Col. Tarleton. An officer and 12 Dragoons.

Lieut. Col. Hamilton's Reg't.

Col. Webster's Brigade.

Regiment De Bose.

Brigade of Guards.

A detachment of two Captains, three Subalterns, and
one hundred men from the Regiments which form the left
column, to be composed of serviceable men, but not the
best marchers.

Detail for the detachment.

Capt. Sub. Serg't. Corp'l. Privates.
Brigade of Guards, 10 2 2 35

Lieut. Col. Webster's Brigade, 12 3 3 45

Regiment De Bose, 111 20

Total, 2 3 6 6 100

The troops to send for meal at half past four in the
morning. The baggage will move with the right column.

Brigade Orders. — The detachment to be formed as
specified by General Orders, from the whole of the Bri-
gade.

Capt. Horneck the officer for this duty.

"General Orders, 16th March, 1T81.
" It is expected as the public service requires it, that
all arms, accoutrements, &c, taken from the enemy or not
in immediate use of the corps, (from the killed and
wounded of the army,) are given in immediately, those
of the enemy to Head-quarters — those spare arms of the
Corps to Lieut. McLeod, commanding the Royal Artil-
lery, who will give receipts for the same."

APPENDIX. 437

Head Quarters, 16th March, IT 81.

Lord Cornwallis desires the officers and soldiers to ac-
cept of his warmest acknowledgments for the very extra-
ordinary valor displayed in the action of yesterday. He
will endeavor to do justice to their merit in his representa-
tion to their Sovereign of the Commander in Chief, and
shall consider it as the greatest honor of his life, to have
been placed at the head of so gallant an army.

He gives his particular thanks to Major- General Leslie
for the spirited and judicious attack which he conducted on
the left wing of the enemy — to Brig. -General O'Harra and
Lieut. Col. Webster, for the eminent services which they
rendered at the head of their respective Brigades — to
Brig. -General Howard, and to the officers who com-
manded the Battalions and Corps of the Guards and
British lines.

To Major Dupy (De Bury) who eminently distinguished
himself at the head of the Regiment of Bose. To Capt.
Ryder, who commanded the Yagers — to Lieut. -Col. Tarle-
ton, for the spirit and ability shown by him in the conduct
of the Cavalry — to Lieut. McLeod, for his able manage-
ment of the Artillery. He must likewise acknowledge the
assistance of his Aid de Camps, Capt. Broderick, Major
Ross, and Lieut. Holding, of Capt. Shelly, Aid de Camp
to Maj.-Gen. Leslie, Major Despard, Adjutant-General,
and Major of Brigade England, acting as Quarter- Master-
General, and to the Majors of Brigades, Collins, Bowers
and Manly.

After Orders. — Seventeen wagons to set out at 8
o'clock to-morrow morning, under the escort of Lieut. -
Col. Hamilton's corps and an officer and twelve dra-
goons. Each wagon to carry as many of the wounded
men as can possibly be put into it. Mr. Grant is desired
29

438 APPENDIX.

to take particular care that the men who are sent away
in the wagons, to-morrow, are such as cannot possibly
either ride or walk, and at the same time that their cases
will admit of their being again with the army, and a proper
attention to this order is of the greatest consequence.
Mr. Grant is requested to be very exact in seeing it put
properly into execution.

A small guard will be given by each corps to take
care of their respective wounded ; and an officer will
attend from Lieut. -Col. Webster's brigade. Mr. Grant
will order a proportion of the mate's department to at-
tend.

Brigade Orders. — A Sergeant, 'Corporal and twelve
men from the Brigade of Guards will form this guard.

General Morning Orders, nth March, It 81.

The army will forage at 10 o'clock this morning.

All the Bat horses and covering parties of the differ-
ent corps will assemble at the Provost's near Head-
quarters, a quarter before 10.

After Morning Orders, 9 o'clock.

All the women of the army except one a company, to
be immediately sent after the wounded men of the army.

Brigade Orders. — As the returns given in yesterday
are by no means accurate from the hurry in which they
were taken, companies are desired to give returns agree-
able to the annexed with all explanations on the back
thereof — these returns to be given in to Mr. Wilson, who
will give them to the Major of Brigade by 12 o'clock.

APPENDIX. 439

Head-quarters, Guilford Court House, 17th March, 1781.

Lord Cornwallis desires that the troops will believe
that he is thoroughly sensible of the distress they suffer
for the want of flour or meal, which is unfortunately in-
creased by the accidental breaking of Dent's mill, last
night. Their continuing here at present is necessary for
the safety of their wounded companions. He knows
that it is unnecessary to add anything on this subject as
the spirit of this army has so often shown itself as supe-
rior to the hardships of hunger and fatigue as to the
danger of battle.

Detail for this day.

Lord Cornwallis' Guard,
Gen. Leslies' do.

Wagons' do.

Sergt.

Corpl.

Privates.

1

1

12

1

6

1

6

Total,

1

3

24

Brigade Orders

3. — Temporary

arrangement

of the

Brigade.

Companies.

Officers. Sergeants.

Pant

: and File.

Grenadiers,

Caps. Christie,
Maitland,

6

91

Light Infantry,

Caps. Dunlop,

Richardson,

6

90

First Company,

Lieut. Lovelace,

3

99

Second Company,

Cap. Warnick,

3

99

Lieut.-Col. Norton.

Total,

18

379

Explanation. — The whole to be considered as one
Battalion till further orders.

Head-quarters, 17 March, 1781.

The horses intended to carry the wounded men are to
be sent to the Hospital in front of the regiment of Bose,
at half past 7 o'clock to-morrow morning.

440 APPENDIX.

General Orders. — The army will move at 10 o'clock in
the following order :

Yagers, Four six-pounders Lieut.-Col. Webster's Brig.

Four six- pounders. Brigade of Guards. Two three-pounders.
Regiment of Bose. Light Infantry. Cavalry.

" Head-quarters 18th of March, 1781.

Detail. Sergeant. Corporal. Privates.
Lord Cornwallis Guard, 1 I 12

General Leslie's do., 1 6

Total, 1 2 18

A Sergeant and twelve men to parade in the field to
forage.

I Head-Quarter's, Ticino's Plantation, 18th March, 1181.
Orders, ten o'clock at night.

The wounded men remaining at this place, the spare
ammunition wagons of the Artillery, and the Bat
horses of the Army, to move at nine o'clock to-morrow
morning, under escort of the Regiment De Bose, with
two six Pounders, and an Officer and twenty Dragoons.

The Surgeons and Mates of the different Corps are
desired to attend at the barn, where the wounded men
are, at 5 o'clock to-morrow morning.

Head-quarters, 19th March, 1181.

Lord Cornwallis' Guard, 1 Sergeant, 1 Corporal, 12
privates. Orderly Sergeant at Maj. General Leslie's —
Guards.

The Surgeons or Mates of the different Corps are to
draw their Provisions from the Commissary for the sick
and wounded of their respective Corps.

Morning Orders, 20th March, 1781.

A foraging party to parade at 8 o'clock this morning
near the Hospital, with all the Bat horses of the different
Corps. Proportion for Guards — 1 Sergeant, 1 Corporal,
18 privates.

APPENDIX. 441

Brigade Orders, 20th March, IT 81.

The Companies will give in returns of all alterations
&c., between the 23d of February and 1st of March,
The Companies will give in returns to the 15th of
March. Account then for all alterations since the 1st of
March. The usual form is to be observed in doing this,
and great correctness to be observed. The Adjutant
will examine these returns and give them in, when cor-
rect, to the Major of Brigade.

General O'Hara having received complaints that the
sick and wounded men have not been regularly and pro-
perly victualled of late, to prevent this neglect in future,
he is pleased to attach Quarter-Master Sergeant Hunt to
the Hospital, with one of the Quarter-Master Corporals
for this purpose, and also to direct that Sergeant Bad-
dington, as long as his wound obliges him to remain at
the Hospital, shall regulate and inspect their kettles, ap-
pointing for this purpose those women that can be
spared from other avocations in the Hospital, together
with men under slight wounds to perform this duty for
the rest. All further regulations will be attended to from
Mr. Rush, the Surgeon.

Head-quarters, Camp near Deep River,

20th March, 1781.
Parole. Countersign.

General Morning Orders. — James Hunter, Esq., is
appointed Lieut. Colonel of Militia, and to receive the
Arms and Parole of all persons who surrendered on the
Proclamation of the 18th instant. Lieut. Colonel Hun-
ter's passes are to be respected at the Outposts as coming
from Head-quarters.

442 APPENDIX.

Detail.

Sergeants. Corporals. Privates.
Lord Cornwallis' Guard, 1 1 12

General Leslie's " "16

Hospital Wagons, "13

Cattle, "13

Total, 1 4 24

Brigade Orders.— Lord Cornwallis having signified to
Brigadier-General O'Hara that it is his Lordship's wish
that the number of Bat men, servants and orderlies may
be greatly decreased, the necessity of the service requir-
ing that every means whatever may be used to strengthen
the files in each Corps, and that those men permitted to
continue in such employ shall be of the worst marchers.
General O'Hara is pleased to make the following regu-
lations for the Brigade of Guards, not doubting, however
inconvenient for the moment the Officers of the Brigade
may feel the want of former indulgences, they will not
suffer such considerations to way (weigh) against the in-
terest they have shown for the public service. Brigadier
Generals 2, Commandant 1, Company 1, General Staff
Officers — 1 Regimental Staff, 1 to each Surgeon, 1
between two.

The whole to march with the baggage, always com-
pletely armed and appointed as other soldiers, and able
to act for the defence of the whole. All Bat men
exceeding the regulation, to join at 4 o'clock this day,
and be ordered to take their turn of duty.

Brig. General O'Hara requests Lieut. Colonel Norton
will see this Order quickly complied with, and a return to
be given in (with their names) in the service of Officers.
When it is regulated the wounded Officers will have one
Bat man each continued to them till they are fit for
duty.

ACT OF ASSEMBLY, 1777.

The first meeting of the General Assembly under the
Constitution met at Newbern, April 8th, ITT 7, and in a
few days passed the following " Act for declaring what
crimes and practices against the State shall be treason,
and what shall be misprision of treason, and providing
punishments adequate to crimes of both classes, and for
preventing the dangers which may arise from persons
dissaffected to the State.

Be it enacted, by the General Assembly of the State
of North Carolina, and it is hereby enacted by the
authority of the same, That all and every person and
persons (prisoners of war excepted) now inhabiting or
residing within the limits of the State of North Carolina,
or who shall voluntarily come into the same hereafter to
inhabit or reside, do owe, and shall pay allegiance to the
State of North Carolina.

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid,
That if any person or persons belonging to, or residing
within this State, and under the protection of its laws,
shall take a commission or commissions from the King
of Great Britain, or any under his authority, or other
the enemies of this State or the United States of
America, or shall levy war against this State or the
Government thereof; or knowingly and willingly shall
aid or assist any enemies at open war against this State,

444 APPENDIX.

or the United States of America, by joining their enemies,
or by enlisting, or procuring or pursuading others to en-
list for that purpose, or by furnishing such enemies with
arms, ammunition, provisions or any other article for
their aid or comfort ; or shall form, or be in any-wise
concerned in forming any combination, plot or conspiracy,
for betraying this State, or the United States of America,
into the hands or power of any foreign enemy ; or shall
give or send any intelligence to the enemies of this State
for that purpose ; every person so offending, and being
thereof legally convicted by the evidence of two sufficient
witnesses, or standing mute, or peremptorily challenging
more than thirty-five jurors, in any court of Oyer and
Terminer, or other court that shall and may be estab-
lished for the trial of such offences, shall be adjudged
guilty of high treason, and shall suffer death without the
benefit of clergy, and his or her estate shall be forfeited
to the State. Provided, That the judge or judges of the
court wherein such conviction may be, shall and may
order and appropriate so much of the traitor's estate as
to him or them may appear sufficient for the support of
his or her family.

III. And be it further enacted, by the authority
aforesaid, That if any person or persons within this
State shall attempt to convey intelligence to the enemies
of this State, or of the United States, or shall publicly
and deliberately speak or write against our public defence ;
or shall maliciously and advisedly endeavor to excite
the people to resist the government of this State, or
persuade them to return to a dependence on the crown of
Great Britain ; or shall knowingly spread false and
dispiriting news, or maliciously and advisedly terrify
and discourage the people from enlisting into the service

APPENDIX. 445

of the State ; or shall stir up or excite tumults, disorders,
or insurrections in the State, or dispose the people to
favor the enemy, or oppose and endeavor to prevent the
measures carrying on in support of the freedom and inde-
pendence of the said United States ; every such person or
persons, being thereof legally c onvicted by the evidence
of two or more creditable witnesses, or other sufficient
testimony shall be adjudged guilty of misprision of treason
and shall suffer imprisonment during the war, and forfeit
to the State one half of his, her, or their lands, tenements,
goods and chattels.

IV. And be it further enacted, by the authority
aforesaid, That all offences by this act declared mis-
prision of treason shall be cognizable before any Justice
of Peace of the County where the offence was committed,
or where the offender can be found, and every Justice of
the Peace within this State, on complaint to him made
on the oath or affirmation of one or more credible person
or persons, shall cause such offender to come before him,
and enter into a recognizance with one or more sufficient
security or securities, to be and appear at the next
county court of the county wherein the offence was com-
mitted, and abide the judgment of the said court, and in
the mean time to be of the peace and good behaviour
towards all people in the State, and for want of security
or securities, the said justice shall and may commit such
offender either to the gaol of the county or district where
the offence was committed, and appoint a guard for the
safe conveying of him to such gaol, and all persons
charged on oath or affirmation with any crime or crimes
by this act declared to be treason against the State, shall
be dealt with and proceeded against in like manner as
the law directs in respect to other capital crimes.
30

446 APPENDIX.

V. And whereas the safety of the State, and the pre-
sent critical situation of affairs, make it necessary that all
persons who owe or acknowledge allegiance or obedience
to the King of Great Britain should be removed out of
the State, Be it enacted, by the authority aforesaid,
That all the late officers of the King of Great Britain
and all persons (Quakers excepted) being subjects of this
State, and now living therein, or who shall hereafter
come to live therein, who have traded immediately to
Great Britain or Ireland within ten years last past, in
their own right, or acted as factors, storkeepers or agents
here, or in any of the United States of America, for
merchants residing in Great Britain or Ireland, shall
take the following oath of abjuration and allegiance, or
depart out of the State, viz : I will bear faithful and
true allegiance to the State of North Carolina, and will
to the utmost of my power support, maintain, and de-
fend the independent government thereof against
George the Third, King of Great Britain, and his suc-
cessors, and the attempts of any other person, prince,
power, state, or potentate, ivho by the secret arts, trea-
sons, conspiracies, or by open force, shall attempt to
subvert the same, and will in every respect conduct
myself as a peaceful, orderly subject ; and that I will
disclose and make knoivn to the Governor, four mem-
bers \of the Council of Stale, or some Justice of the
Peace, all treasons, conspiracies and attempts, commit-
ted or intended against the State, which shall come to
my knowledge, and that all persons being Quakers, and
under the circumstances above mentioned, shall make
the folloiving affirmation, or depart out of the State.
I A. B. do solemnly and sincerely declare and affirm,
that I will bear true allegiance to the independent
State of North Carolina and to the powers and authori-

APPENDIX. 447

ties which are or may be established for the good
government thereof, and I do renounce any allegiance
to the present King of Great Britain, his heirs and
successors ; and that I will disclose and make known
to the Governer, some Members of the Council of State,
or Justice of the Peace, all treasons, conspiracies, or
attempts, committed or intended against the same, which
shall come to my knowledge ; And the said oath or
affirmation shall be taken and subscribed in open court
in the county where the person or persons taking the
same shall or do usually reside.

VI. And be it further enacted, by the authority
aforesaid, That the county court in each and every
county, and every Justice of the Peace in each respective
county, shall have full power to issue citations against
persons coming within the above description, as officers,
merchants, traders, factors, store-keepers, agents, and to
demand surety on recognizance if necessary, and to require
their attendance at the next ensuing court to be held for
the county ; and if any person so cited (due proof being
made thereof) shall fail or neglect to attend, or attend-
ing shall refuse to take the said oath or affirmation (as
the case may be) then the said court shall and may
have full power and authority to order such person
to depart out of this State to Europe or the West
Indies within sixty days and may take bond and secu-
rity, in the name of the governor, for the benefit of
the State for faithful compliance with such order, and if
any person so ordered shall fail or neglect to depart
within the limited time, such bond shall be forfeited to
the State, without good and sufficient reason shown to
and approved of by the Governor and Council, and the
Justices or any of them, in the county wherein the person

448 APPENDIX.

so failing or neglecting to depart shall be found, shall
and may cause him to be apprehended and be brought
before the court of the county where the order was made ;
and the said court shall in such case send the person so
offending as speedily as may be out of the State either to
Europe or the West Indies, at the cost and charge of
such offender. Provided nevertheless, that all and
every such person and persons shall have liberty to sell
and dispose of his or her estates, and after satisfying all
just demands to export the amount in produce (provis-
ions and naval stores excepted) and may also nominate
and appoint an attorney or attornies to sell and dispose
of his or their estates, for his or their use and benefit,
but in case any real estate belonging to any such person
shall remain unsold for more than three months next
after the owner thereof hath departed this State, the
same shall be forfeited to and for the use of the public.

VII. And be it further enacted, by the authority
aforesaid, That if any person so departing or sent off
from this State shall return to the same, then such per-
son shall be adjudged guilty of treason against the State,
and shall and may be proceeded against in like manner
as is herein directed in cases of treason.

YIII. And be it further enacted, by the authority
aforesaid, That each and every justice in each respec-
tive county may cite any person or persons to appear
before the county court where such person or persons
usually reside, and take the aforesaid oath or affirmation';
and in case of non-attendance or refusal, the said court
shall and may have full power to compel such person or
persons to leave the State, under the same regulations
herein mentioned in other cases."